Miracle
by ShrinkingViolet713
Summary: While running through the park, Olivia makes a discovery which will change both her and Elliot's lives forever. Will be EO. My first SVU fic! Please RR, no flames!
1. Default Chapter

Detective Olivia Benson stretched her neck from side to side and took a deep breath before starting her jog through Central Park. She didn't know why she'd felt the urge to run through the Park that morning, especially at what she considered to be the ungodly hour of 5:00. She didn't mind working out, one of the extra bedrooms of her town home was converted into a workout room. But as far as cardiac workouts, she usually preferred swimming.

Despite her hatred for early mornings, Olivia had to admit that it was beautiful that day. It was unusually warm for March in New York. It was already 50 degrees and the high was rumored to hit 70. A fog was lifting from the ground while the sun made everything look pastel.

As she came to a fork in the path about 3/4 of a mile into her run, Olivia heard the reedy, persistent wail of a cranky child. Worried, she took the path eastward and around the first bend Olivia stopped cold. Sitting on the bench to her right were three children. The oldest was a boy wearing a dirty, hole-filled long sleeved t-shirt, raggedy jeans, and too small sneakers. He held a baby in a dirty, threadbare blue blanket. The baby was wailing loudly. Next to the boy sat a girl with blonde curls who was also wearing dirty jeans, an ancient sweatshirt, and no shoes. 

Concerned and slightly confused, Olivia crouched down to eye level with the boy. "Hi," she said gently, pitching her voice above the cries of the baby. "My name's Olivia. What's yours?"

The boy looked at her, scared, but didn't say anything so Olivia tried again. She pulled out her badge which she'd tucked into a pouch around her waist. "I bet your mom or dad told you not to talk to strangers. And that's a good rule. But it's okay to talk to me, I'm a police officer."

The boy looked at the badge for awhile before speaking. "My name's Brian. This is Jacob, he's my brother," he nodded at the baby in his arms. "My sister's name is Maggie."

Olivia smiled at the little girl who was sucking on the first three fingers of her left hand. Brian reached out and yanked Maggie's fingers out of her mouth. "Don't suck, Maggie. Mom doesn't like it."

Olivia took advantage of the opportunity. "Where is your mom?"

Brian shrugged. "She told us to wait here for her."

"How long ago was that?" Olivia asked, growing more worried by the second.

"Not last night, the night before."

Olivia's eyebrows drew together. It might have been unusually warm out but it was still far too cold for such young children to be outside for two nights. Brian looked about 7 and Maggie looked to be 2 or 3. "Have you eaten anything?"

Brian shook his head. "Maggie and me had s'ghetti o's for dinner before we came here. I brought a bottle for Jacob." He pointed to an empty plastic bottle on the ground. "It ran out the first night but Mom was supposed to come get us."

Olivia felt her heart all but break. Without giving it another though, she smiled. "Why don't you guys come with me?"

"Where to?" Brian asked suspiciously.

Olivia paused. "First we'll go buy Jacob some formula and get you and Gracie some breakfast." She looked at them closely. "And some new clothes. Then we need to go to the hospital."

"How come?"

"I want to make sure that you're healthy," Olivia explained. She didn't think that the children would understand exposure or starvation.

"Mom said we have to stay here," Brian said. "She'll be angry if we leave."

Olivia sighed. "If she's angry, I'll tell her it was my fault. She won't hurt you," she added, more from instinct than anything. She'd been a detective for long enough to know when children were being abused.

Maggie pulled on Brian's shirt. "Bwian, I'm hungry."

Brian stood up slowly. "Do you promise she won't hurt us?"

"I promise. How old are you, Brian?" Olivia asked as she held out her hand for Maggie to take.

"I'm 8," Brian said as the began walking towards the road. "Maggie is 3."

"How old is Jacob?"

"Um..."

"Do you remember when he was born?"

"January 20."

'Two months,' Olivia thought. She hailed a cab and helped the children inside. Technically, she was supposed to take the kids to the hospital first but she couldn't bring herself to do that before giving them something to eat. Jacob was still crying and Olivia was willing to bet it was from hunger. The cab stopped in front of Super Walmart and Olivia ushered the children out of the cab. She found a cart with an infant car seat and took the baby from Brian, strapping him in.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Olivia turned to see a store clerk behind her. "Yes?" she asked, irritation obvious.

"She can't walk around in here without shoes," he said, pointing to Maggie who hid behind Olivia's legs.

"I'm sorry, Livvy," Maggie whispered, tears filling her blue eyes.

Olivia glared at the clerk and smiled at Maggie. "That's okay, sweetie. We can fix this." She lifted Maggie gently and set her in the cart. "You get to ride in here, okay?"

Maggie nodded and giggled. Olivia made a quick mental list and was glad she'd brought her credit card with her that morning. She'd intended to grab a Starbuck's coffee after her run. She grabbed two boxes of animal crackers and gave them to Maggie and Brian to eat while the shopped. She'd get them something more substantial after the finished. 

First Olivia took them to the baby aisle where she grabbed three bottles, a case of formula, a couple of bibs, some pacifiers, and a little baseball outfit that she couldn't resist. As an after thought she added a blanket and some socks. "We need diapers," she said to herself before turning to Brian. "Do you know what size Jacob wears?"

Brian pointed and Olivia grabbed a package, sticking it under the cart. Looking at the already large pile of supplies, Olivia grabbed a Winnie the Pooh diaper bag as well. They walked into the children's clothing section and Olivia turned to the older children. "Why don't you each pick out a new outfit?"

"Really?" Brian asked, surprised. Their mom never bought them things. "Why?"

Olivia smiled. "I thought you might like something...new."

Brian chose a pair of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt which had the Yankees logo on it. Olivia added underwear and socks to the pile. In the toddler's section, she took Maggie out of the cart and carried her on her hip since the cart was getting pretty full. The little girl reached out to touch a pink frilly dress.

"You can't have that," Brian said firmly. "Mom said we have to wear long pants and shirts."

As Maggie pulled her hand back, Olivia gave Brian a strange look. That wasn't a usual demand of parents. She found a pair of jeans with butterflies embroidered on them and a little pink shirt that matched in addition to underwear and socks for Maggie also. On the way to the shoe section, Olivia added two jean jackets to the cart. It might have been warm that day but it would be cold again before summer. She also grabbed shoes for the two older children. She was heading for the checkout line when Maggie pointed at an aisle and said excitedly, "Dolly!"

Olivia turned and saw that they were right next to toys. Something in her wouldn't let her leave without getting them something. And, since they might be spending time in the station until their mom could be found they would need distractions. "You may each pick out one toy and some coloring books."

Brian's eyes lit up as he hurried down one aisle. Olivia picked up a My First Princess Cinderella doll and showed it to Maggie. "Do you like this one?"

Maggie grinned, dimples flashing. "Can I have it?"

"Sure." Brian was back a couple seconds later holding a Harry Potter Lego set. In the book aisle, Olivia helped Maggie pick out a coloring book about kittens and one that featured Winnie the Pooh and his friends. As she was adding a box of 8 large crayons to the cart, thinking they would be easier for Maggie to handle than the little ones, Brian tugged on her sleeve.

"Olivia? Can I get a Harry Potter book instead?"

Olivia blinked, thinking that Harry Potter was probably beyond Brian's reading ability. "Do you go to school, Brian?"

Brian nodded. "I was in third grade last year."

Olivia shrugged, figuring that it couldn't hurt. "As long as it's a paperback, that's fine."

Brian added _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ to the cart and, over an hour after getting there, they finally began to check out. As she paid, Olivia tried to push the thought that she shouldn't be doing this, buying them these things, out of her head.

"Olivia, can we put out new clothes on now?" Brian asked hopefully, bringing her back to reality.

She smiled because for the first time since she'd found him, Brian sounded like a normal 8-year-old. "After the hospital you can. First we need to feed Jacob and change his diaper, okay?" She didn't even want to think about how long it had been since the baby was changed.

Brian nodded and Olivia led the kids into the bathroom. She washed out one of the bottles and mixed the formula. Since she couldn't heat it any other way she used warm water and also made Brian and Maggie wash their hands. She hailed a cab and once they were settled began feeding the baby. He quieted immediately and by the time they got to the hospital he was sound asleep in Olivia's arms.

While the waited, Brian turned to Olivia, fear darkening his blue eyes. "Mom said that if we came to the hospital, they'd make us go live someplace else, not together. I promised Mom I'd take care of Maggie and Jacob."

Olivia slipped an arm around his narrow shoulders and squeezed gently. "I promise to do everything I can to keep you guys together."

A nurse led them back to the exam rooms and said she'd bring cereal for Maggie and Brian. Before the doctor came in, Olivia's phone rang.

"Benson," she said softly due to the sleeping baby in her arms.

"Olivia, where are you?" Elliot Stabler whispered back. "And why are we whispering?"

"Can you meet me down here, Elliot? You won't believe me if you don't see this."

"Where are you?"

"St. Joseph's."

"The church?!" Elliot hissed in surprise.

"The hospital."

"Are you okay?" worry laced her partner's voice and Olivia smiled slightly. He was so protective of her. He always had been and was even more so now that he and his wife were divorced.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just get here. And can you bring me some stuff?"

"What do you need?"

"Two Happy Meals, a very large coffee," Olivia paused, remembering her outfit. "And some clean clothes for me."

"Clothes?" Elliot repeated, now more confused than ever.

"Yeah."

"Liv, I really don't want to go through your stuff."

"Hey, you owe me, Stabler. Who took your 10-year-old daughter to the drug store last month for maxi pads because she got her first period and you didn't know what to do?"

"That aisle scares me, it has too many options," he argued back, then sighed in resignation. "What do you need?"

"Um...a shirt, pants, my boots, socks, underwear..."

"Olivia, I am not bringing you underwear!"

"Elliot, I'm not in the mood to deal with your irrational fear of female undergarments."

"Fine, fine. What do you want me to tell Cragen?"

"Tell him we're working on a case," Olivia answered before she hung up the phone. She looked over at Brian and Maggie and she sighed. They looked so lost. She didn't know what kind of home life they'd had but from what she'd deduced, it hadn't been a good one. She just hoped that she could help them somehow.


	2. Chapter 2

A few minutes after Olivia hung up the phone, the doctor, a man in his fifties whom Olivia had worked with before, knocked on the door and came in. "Detective Benson. What do we have here?" he asked, looking at the children.

Before Olivia could answer, Maggie let out a terrified shriek and dove under the chairs. Dr. Edison crouched down but Maggie screamed louder. 

"Let me do it," Olivia crouched down so she could see Maggie. "Honey, can you come out here?"

"Is he gone?" Maggie whimpered.

Olivia motioned for Dr. Edison to leave the room. Once he was gone, Olivia held out a hand. "He's gone. Will you come out now sweetie?"

Maggie crawled out from under the chair and wrapped her arms tightly around Olivia's neck. Olivia stood carefully and began to pace around the small room. "Sh. Sh, you're okay honey. Dr. Edison is a doctor, he's not going to hurt you."

"Men hurt," Maggie sobbed. "Men hurt you."

Olivia stopped. "Maggie. Did a man hurt you?"

"Maggie, be quiet," Brian snapped, jumping up. "Mom will be mad."

Olivia shook her head. "Maggie, if someone hurt you, you should tell someone like a doctor or a police officer. We won't be mad at you, because it's not your fault. I want to help you sweetie. You can tell me."

Maggie was quiet for a minute before speaking in a barely audible whisper. "Sometimes bad men come over. Mommy makes me do things to them."

Olivia sat down in a chair and shifted so she could look at Maggie. "What kinds of things?" she asked, anger beginning to bubble. 

"They pull down their pants and I have to put their private part in my mouth," Maggie whispered, playing with locket that Olivia always wore. 

Tears filled Olivia's eyes as she pulled Maggie close. "You're safe now honey. No one's going to hurt you again."

"I don't like it," Maggie said. "But Mommy says I have to."

Olivia shook her head. "Your mommy was wrong, baby. You don't have to do that ever again. I promise. Is that why you don't like men? Because they make you do those things?"

Maggie nodded against her chest and Olivia looked at Brian who was holding the baby, looking at the ground. "I tried to stop them," Brian whispered. "Maggie was crying and I promised that I'd take care of her. But Mom told me to stay in my room, that it was none of my business. I didn't want them to hurt Maggie."

"I know you didn't." Olivia held out her arm and Brian walked over, burying his face in her shoulder. "You did a good job taking care of Maggie and Jacob, Brian. None of this is your fault either. And we're going to keep you safe."

Brian nodded and pulled away, wiping the tears from his cheek with one hand. It was obvious that he was trying to be an adult. When Maggie had quieted, Olivia shifted so she could look at the little girl's face. "Maggie, I asked one of my friends to come down here to help you. He's a man, but he's a police officer like me. His name is Elliot and he's very nice. He won't hurt you, I promise."

Maggie shook her head. "Men hurt you," she repeated.

"Elliot won't hurt you, he's my best friend. He's very nice and he wants to help me keep you safe."

"Are you going to leave, Livvy?"

Olivia shook her head. "I'll be right here."

Maggie didn't say anything else but she stayed sitting in Olivia's lap, playing with her necklace. After a few minutes, Olivia reached down and pulled the Cinderella doll out of the bag and let Maggie start playing with it. 

Before much longer, a nurse stuck her head into the room. "Detective Benson? Detective Stabler is here, may I let him in?"

Olivia nodded and a second later Elliot walked in the door. "Now what's going on and why did you want..." Elliot trailed off as he took in the scene before him. "Olivia, what's going on?"

Olivia stood, Maggie clinging to her neck. As soon as the little girl saw Elliot, she'd begun hiding her face in Olivia's shoulder again. "Elliot, this is Brian," she gestured to him. "And Maggie and Jacob is the baby. Brian, this is Elliot. I work with him and he's going to help you, too."

Brian nodded nervously. "Hi," he said softly.

Elliot stared at the children for a minute in shock. "That explains the Happy Meals."

"Why don't you give them to the kids, then we can talk."

Elliot nodded and handed one Happy Meal to Brian. "Do you like cheeseburgers, Brian?"

Brian nodded. "Thank you. Are you a police officer too?"

"I sure am." Elliot tried to hand Maggie the other Happy Meal but she whimpered and clung tighter to Olivia's neck.

"It's okay Maggie. Remember I told you about my friend Elliot? He's nice, he won't hurt you." Olivia turned to Elliot. "She's a little s-c-a-r-e-d of m-e-n."

Elliot sighed. "Hey there, Maggie."

"Maggie, honey can you say hi to Elliot?"

"'Lo," Maggie whispered, barely audible.

"That's a very pretty doll you have there," Elliot said noticing the Cinderella doll which she was also still holding on to. "What's her name?"

"Livvy," Maggie said, turning her head slightly.

"Maggie, I'm going to put you down now, okay? I need to talk to Elliot and you can have your Happy Meal that he brought you." Olivia bent over and sat Maggie in the chair next to Brian. She spent a moment unwrapping the cheeseburger and getting Maggie set up before she took Jacob so Brian could eat. "I'm going to be right over here across the room if you need anything, okay?"

Brian nodded and Olivia walked to the other side of the room, Elliot following. "Did you bring coffee?" she asked hopefully.

Elliot handed her the cup and she took a long drink. "Okay, what's going on here? Whose kids are they and why did you tell me that this is a case?"

Olivia took another drink. "I decided to run through the Park this morning. I found them sitting on a bench. Brian said that their mother had put them there two nights ago and not come back. I couldn't leave them there and none of them had eaten in over a day. So I took them to Walmart, then here and you called."

Elliot looked at the pile of Walmart bags. "Jesus Liv, how much did you buy?!"

"I had to get formula and bottles and diapers for the baby," she said defensively. 

"I have four kids, all who used to be babies. And those three things don't take up...10 bags."

"Look at them Elliot, they're wearing rags. Maggie didn't even have shoes. I couldn't not try to help them."

Elliot nodded. Really, it didn't surprise him that Olivia had gone slightly overboard. She was one of the most compassionate people that he'd ever met. "What do we know about their mother?"

Olivia sighed. "I'd guess she's a prostitute, leaving her children in the park in the middle of the night. And she abuses them. Brian keeps saying that she's going to be mad, usually for little things like Maggie sucking her fingers. And she won't let them wear anything that exposes their arms or legs."

Because logic seemed needed here, Elliot tried again. "Okay, child abuse, neglect, and hooking. None of those crimes fall within our jurisdiction."

Olivia sighed, pain obvious in her eyes. "Maggie sweetie, can you come here?" As the little girl walked over, Olivia handed the baby to Elliot and picked up his sister when she held up her arms, still clinging to Olivia but at least looking at Elliot. "Can you tell Elliot what you told me?"

"Mommy will be mad," she whispered.

"Your mommy can't hurt you, Maggie. Elliot wants to help you."

Slowly, Maggie repeated what she'd told Olivia about the abuse. When she finished, fury was dancing in Elliot's eyes. "Christ," he hissed. He waited for his partner to put Maggie back down with instructions for her to finish her breakfast before speaking to Olivia again. "Have they been examined yet?"

"No. Dr. Edison came in and Maggie panicked. That's when I found out about the abuse. It looks like Brian has been taking care of Maggie and Jacob for awhile. I'm waiting for a female doctor."

"Okay. What are you planning on doing with them then?"

"I was going to bring them to the station, start an investigation, and call DCFS."

Elliot looked at Olivia carefully. "Liv, are you too close to this? Really?"

Olivia shook her head. "I'm fine. I want to catch the bitch who did this to them though. Jesus El, they're just babies."

Elliot reached out and rubbed a hand down her arm. "I know. And thinking about what they've been through almost makes me sick. But they're safe now, you found them."

Olivia nodded and the door opened. Maggie ran back to Olivia and nearly climbed her leg before she was picked up. A blonde female doctor stuck her head in. "Hi. I'm Dr. DelAmico. What do we have here?"

Olivia explained everything and who she was and saw anger flash in the doctor's eyes. Dr. DelAmico smiled at the children though. "Okay. Who's first for a check up?"

Brian swallowed hard. "I'll go. Then you can see that it doesn't hurt, Maggie."

Olivia smiled and stroked his hair gently. "You're such a good brother," she said softly.

Dr. DelAmico found several large bruises on Brian's body, along with round burns which looked to have been made by a cigarette. He was also pretty small for an eight year old in addition to being malnourished and slightly dehydrated. Once she was done with the check up, Dr. DelAmico said that he could take a sponge bath behind a screen and put on his new clothes since his old ones were going to be used for evidence of maltreatment. She'd also taken pictures of the bruises and burns.

Jacob went next because Maggie didn't seem inclined to release her grip on Olivia any time soon. He had bruises also and four cigarette burns on his legs. He, too, was malnourished and dehydrated. Elliot took the baby back and changed him into his new clothes while Olivia tried to convince Maggie to lay down on the examining table. 

"Maggie, please let go, I'll be right here." She bent over, so Maggie was sitting on the table but Maggie still refused to let go. "Dr. DelAmico isn't going to hurt you, she's going to make sure that you're not sick." After finally prying Maggie loose, Olivia still stood next to her. Brian came back from changing and stood on her other side. Finally, all of the kids were finished with their examinations and changed into new clothes. 

Dr. DelAmico looked at the detectives and motioned them to the other side of the room. Olivia quickly pulled out a coloring book and Crayons for Maggie before joining them. Elliot still held Jacob in his arms, rocking slightly. "They've obviously been abused. They need to get out of that home, now."

Olivia nodded. "We're taking them to the station with us."

"All of them are malnourished and dehydrated. Over the next couple of hours, get them to drink as many fluids as you can and have them eat healthy things. They should recover from it all very well. They're lucky you found them when you did, Detective Benson."

"Olivia," she corrected. "Are there any bad effects from being outside for so long, Dr. DelAmico?"

"Anna. So far, it looks like Brian and Maggie are coming down with slight colds. There was a little wheezing when I listened to their chests. Jacob seems fine though, thankfully. If you see anything else or have any questions, here's my card, give me a call."

Olivia smiled and handed the card to Elliot who tucked it in his wallet. "Thanks. Would you be willing to testify in court if we need you?"

Anna nodded. "Of course." She looked over at Brian and Maggie who were reading and coloring respectively before letting her gaze drop to Jacob. "Make sure you catch the person who did this to them," she said, stroking a finger down the baby's cheek.

"We will," Elliot promised. 

After Anna left, Olivia pulled out the diaper bag and arranged it, fitting as much in as possible so she didn't have to walk around with an armload of bags in addition to three children for the rest of the day while Elliot filled the three bottles with formula. Jacob woke up again and began to cry before they left so Olivia took time to feed him and change his diaper before they walked to Elliot's car. Since they didn't have a car seat, Olivia held Jacob in the back seat while Elliot played chauffeur. 

After a few blocks, Elliot glanced in the review mirror while they were stopped at a light and sighed. Olivia was obviously in love with the children already, he just hoped that it wouldn't end up hurting her. His next thought was how natural she looked, cradling Jacob in her arms, Maggie tucked against her side while she reassured Brian. He'd never doubted that Olivia would make a great mother some day. 

"Hey, Liv," he said with sarcastic smile. "What do you think Cap's gonna say?"

*The appearance of Dr. Anna DelAmico from _ER_ isn't an accident. Consider it a cameo.

**What is Cragen going to say about Olivia and Elliot arriving with three children? How will the rest of the 1-6 respond? Will they find the children's mother? 


	3. Chapter 3

Miracle chapter 3

            Olivia walked into the 1-6 one of the few ways that she never thought she would.  Jacob was in one arm, cooing and waving a tiny fist back and forth.  The diaper bag was slung over the same shoulder and bounced against her hip with every step she took.  Maggie clung to her other hand and sucked desperately on the first three fingers of her right hand.  Brian held on to the strap of the diaper bag and looked around nervously.

            When Olivia paused outside the door, Elliot rested a hand on her back in silent support.  She pushed through the door and as she walked in, Fin looked up and gave his characteristic smirk.  "Well look who finally showed…" he trailed off, staring at the children.  "Mama Olivia," he said softly.  "What's this?"

            Under Fin's intense stare, Maggie turned and hid her face in Olivia's leg.  "He's scary," she whispered.

            Olivia crouched down and ran a hand over Maggie's blonde curls.  "You don't need to be scared, Maggie.  This is where I work and all of the men here are police officers like Elliot and me.  They want to help you."

            "Want up," Maggie whispered.

            Elliot bent and tried to pick Maggie up but she began to squirm.  "Livvy, I want Livvy," she started to cry.

            "Take Jacob," Olivia said, shifting the baby to Elliot's arms before picking Maggie up.  "Sh, I'm right here, honey."

            Captain Cragen heard the cries of a child and stuck his head out of his office to see what was going on.  The sight that met his eyes was not one that he had expected.  "Benson, Stabler, in my office."

            The detectives exchanged looks and walked towards their captain's office, dropping the Walmart bags next to Olivia's desk as they went.  Once they were inside Cragen shut the door and gestured to the chairs.  Olivia sat in one with Maggie on her lap while Elliot held Jacob and Brian sat next to him.  When they were settled, Cragen took his own seat and grabbed a Twizzler from the ever-present jar on his desk.  He paused before offering one to Brian, who shook his head silently.  "What's your name?" Cragen asked.

            "Brian."

            "What's your last name, Brian?"

            "Allen.  That's my sister Maggie and my brother Jacob."

            "Bri, this is Captain Cragen, my boss," Olivia explained.

            "Where's your mom, Brian?" Cragen asked kindly.

            Brian shrugged.  "Work, I think."

            Cragen nodded and turned to Olivia.  "Explain?" he asked.

            By the time Olivia finished the story, Cragen was pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.  Elliot had shifted so he could rest a hand on Brian's shoulder in support and Maggie had cuddled into Olivia, sucking on her fingers and clutching her doll with her other hand.

            "What do you mean, Maggie is it?, was sexually abused," Cragen asked at length.

            Olivia sighed and wrapped her arms around Maggie, unconsciously trying to protect her.  "Her mother forced her to give oral sex to at least one man."

            Cragen nodded and turned to Brian.  "Does your mom leave you home alone a lot?"

            Brian nodded. "She doesn't like us," he said softly.  "I take care of Maggie and Jacob."

            "Where's your dad?"

            "We don't have one," Brian answered.

            Elliot squeezed Brian's shoulder gently.  "Bri, where do you live?"

            Brian gave an address and Elliot shuddered to himself.  It was a rough neighborhood.

            Cragen nodded, working it out in his head.  "I'm going to call DCFS," he paused at the flash of pain in Olivia's eyes but forced himself to continue.  "Until then the kids can stay here.  Olivia, go get cleaned up.  I want you and Elliot to go to the apartment, I'll have Munch and Fin canvas the neighborhood."

             "If no one's home, we'll need a warrant," Elliot pointed out.

            "I'll call Casey."

            "Cap," Olivia spoke up worriedly.  "What about Brian, Maggie, and Jacob?  Someone needs to watch them."

            "They'll stay here with me.  It's not right to make them go back there."

            Olivia nodded and, feeling that they were dismissed, she and Elliot began leading the children out of the office.  Elliot and Jacob went first, followed by Brian.  In the doorway, Olivia paused and turned back.  "Cap?  Can you not let DCFS take them until I get back?"

            Cragen smiled.  "I'll try."

            When Olivia set Maggie in her chair, Munch looked over with raised eyebrows.  He'd been getting coffee when Olivia and Elliot first arrived and Fin had only taunted that he wouldn't believe what they'd brought in with them.  "Nice outfit," Munch teased Olivia.  "Get lost on the way to the gym?"

            "Shut it, John," Olivia returned with a roll of her eyes.

            "Who do we have here?" Munch, glancing around at the children.  He'd never had much experience with kids, not having any of his own.

            "Cragen will tell you the story, but this is Maggie, Brian, and the baby is Jacob," Olivia crouched down so she was eye level with Maggie.  "I'm going to go take a quick shower so you need to stay here with Brian and Elliot, okay Maggie?"

            "Can I come with you?"

            Olivia shook her head.  "I'm sorry honey, you need to stay here."

            "Will you come back?"

            "Yes, I'll come back in a little while." Olivia paused. "But after I come back, Elliot and I are going to see if we can find your mom."

            "I don't want you to find our mom," Brian spoke up softly and Olivia jumped.  She hadn't realized he was behind her.

            "Why not?" Olivia asked, wrapping an arm around Brian's waist.

            "I don't want to live with her, I want to live with you, Olivia.  You don't hit or yell and you're nice.  Maggie likes you and you don't get mad when Jacob cries."

            Tears filled Olivia's eyes as she pulled Brian into a hug.  "Oh, baby," she whispered.  "I promise that I'm going to do everything I can to keep you and Maggie and Jacob safe.  I'm not going to let you go back to your mom, Bri.  I won't let her hurt you again."

            As Elliot watched, his stomach clenched.  He knew Olivia as well as he knew himself.  He knew the demons she fought, what the little looks she gave meant, her fears.  And right then, Elliot knew that Olivia loved Brian, Maggie, and Jacob.  More than that, Elliot knew that when she had to give the kids over to DCFS, it would break her heart.

            Olivia held Brian until he pulled back, and then smiled at him.  "I'll be right back.  Elliot's here though."  She grabbed the duffel bag that Elliot had filled with her clothes and hurried to the showers.  She took the fastest shower she'd ever taken.  Within 45 minutes she was dressed, ready, back in the office, and very impressed that Elliot hadn't forgotten anything, not even her belt.  Maggie was still sitting in the exact same spot that Olivia had left her, except she was coloring.  Brian was sitting with Elliot at Elliot's computer, probably playing a game.  She looked around quickly.  Her mental count of the kids had turned up one short.  

            "Where's Jacob?" she asked, worry thick in her voice.

            Elliot smiled and nodded towards the window.  Olivia looked over and laughed slightly.  Munch was holding Jacob, rocking back and forth rather awkwardly and talking softly.  Deciding that the baby was fine, Olivia turned back to the desks.  "Did Cragen get the search warrant?"

            "Yep," Elliot stood up.  "You can keep playing as long as you want, Brian.  Olivia and I will be back in…a little while."

            Cragen walked out of his office and looked at his detectives.  "Everyone ready?"

            Fin stood up, grabbing his coat.  "Ready and waiting."

            Munch walked back and Olivia took Jacob from him.  "Bye, Jacob," she whispered.  "Be good and I'll be back soon."  Jacob grasped her finger in his tiny fist.  Without thinking, Olivia brought the fist to her lips and kissed it gently.

            "Olivia, we need to go," Elliot said softly, resting a hand between her shoulder blades.

            "I know," Olivia said with a sigh.  She kissed the top of Jacob's head before handing him to Cragen.  "There are two full bottles in the diaper bag and an empty one too, if you need it.  There's extra formula in the bag by my desk.  Oh, diapers are…"

            "Olivia, go," Cragen said with a slight laugh.  "I have two children, I can handle this."

            "Oh, Maggie doesn't like men, so if she wants to stay with Brian that's fine.  And make sure they drink water and have some kind of healthy snack.  No soda."

            Cragen shot Elliot a look and Elliot nodded.  He took Olivia's arm and began pulling her towards the door.  Olivia yanked her arm back and walked over to Brian.  "Are you going to be okay while Elliot and I are gone?"

            Brian nodded and stood up.  "Are you going to my house?"

            "Yep.  We need to try to find your mom."

            "Be careful," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.  "Mom will be mad and when she gets mad she hits really hard."

            Olivia hugged him tightly.  "Your mom won't hurt me, I promise."

            Brian hugged her one last time before returning to the computer.  Olivia crouched down in front of Maggie.  "Sweetie, Elliot and I have to go now.  We'll be back around lunch, okay?  Captain Cragen is going to take good care of you."

            "Do you have to go Livvy?" Maggie asked, wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck.

            "I promise to come back as soon as I can," Olivia said, hugging Maggie back.  "And when I come back I'll color with you, okay?"

            "Okay." Maggie let go and turned back to her coloring.

            Olivia turned to Elliot.  "Okay, I'm ready now."

            Once they were in the car, Elliot started driving towards the apartment.  After a few blocks, he looked sideways at his partner.  "Are you sure you want to do this, Liv?"

            "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

            "Look, I'm not blind or stupid.  You care about those kids, as more than just another set of victims."

            "You didn't see them sitting there, Elliot.  They were all alone in Central Park.  It's a miracle they weren't attacked.  Or worse."

            "I know, Liv."  Elliot reached over and linked his fingers with hers.  "It's a miracle you found them."

            Olivia smiled slightly as they pulled up to the apartment building.  They walked up four flights of stairs and stopped outside 4F.  Olivia knocked on the door.  "Regan Allen?  NYPD."  She paused for a minute, listening.  She didn't hear anything and glanced at Elliot.  Elliot rammed his shoulder into the door and it flew open.  As they stepped into the apartment, Olivia gasped, and then choked.

            "It reeks in here," Elliot grumbled.

            Olivia recognized the smell right away.  Cigarette smoke, rum, and rotting trash permeated the room.  "Let's see if we can find anyone."

            The search of the apartment didn't take long, it consisted of one bedroom where they found a stash of pot, several empty alcohol bottles, filth the likes of which was usually only found in dumpsters, a living room/kitchen which looked like it hadn't been cleaned at any time in recent memory, and a bathroom that Olivia was fairly certain should have been condemned by the health board.

            "Let's get CSU in here to dust for prints.  Maybe the guy who assaulted Maggie left his prints," Elliot said.

            Olivia nodded.  "I'm going to call Fin and Munch and see if they've found anyone who knows the kids or where their mother might be."

            Elliot and Olivia hung up their phones at the same time.  "CSU will be here in fifteen minutes.    Have Fin and Munch had any luck?" Elliot asked.

            "Nope.  There's a school a few blocks from here, PS 214.  Brian probably went there."

            "Let's check it out."

            Olivia and Elliot walked into PS 214's office.  The secretary looked up from her desk.

            "May I help you?" she asked.

            "Yes, we're detectives Benson and Stabler from the SVU, we'd like to speak to the principal?" Olivia said, holding out her badge.

            "Of course."  The secretary stood and hurried out of the office.  A few minutes later she returned with a small woman in a black suit.

            "Detectives?  My name is Chantel Williams.  How may I help you?" she said with a slight smile.

            "Ms. Williams, we're here investigating a case involving a child who we believe goes to your school."

            Ms. Williams's brows furrowed.  "One of my students?  What happened?!"

            "Do you have a Brian Allen in one of your third grade classes?" Olivia asked.

            "We used to," Ms. Williams said.  "His family moved to Georgia over Christmas break."

            "Is this him?" Elliot asked, holding out a picture of Brian that they'd taken at the station.

            "Yes, that's him."

            "Can you tell us about him?"

            Ms. Williams smiled.  "He was such a sweet boy.  He wasn't in ever in any trouble.  We were sad to see him go.  But what does Brian have to do with one of your cases?  He wasn't hurt was he?"

            "Brian and his younger sister and brother were found this morning in Central Park," Elliot said.

            "Oh my God, they're not dead are they?!" Ms. Williams gasped.

            "No, I was the one who found them," Olivia answered.  "We're trying to find their mother and the apartment wasn't far from here.  Could we speak to his teacher, please?"

            "Of course, he had Ms. Dillon."

            Ms. Williams led Elliot and Olivia to the second floor and knocked on the door of the corner room, motioning for the teacher to join them.

            "Ms. Dillon, this is Detective Stabler and Detective Benson.  They're here about Brian Allen."

            "Do you have a few minutes?" Elliot asked.

            "We go to music in ten minutes," Ms. Dillon said nervously.

            "I'll take them," Ms. Williams volunteered.

            When they were alone in the hallway, Ms. Dillon looked from Olivia to Elliot.  "You wanted to know about Brian?  He was a great kid.  Sweet, smart, he looked out for the younger kids on the playground and never made any trouble."

            "We have reason to believe that Brian was being abused," Elliot said, not voicing his thought that Brian probably hadn't made trouble at school because he had enough of it at home.

            Ms. Dillon sighed sadly.  "I had my suspicions.  Brian used to come to school with bruises but when I asked, he always said that he fell.  I tried to get him to talk to a social worker but he refused.  Is Brian safe?"  

            Olivia nodded.  "He is now.  We're trying to find his mother."

            "I wish I could help more," Ms. Dillon said.

            "We'll be sure to let you know if we need anything else," Elliot said because Olivia had gone quiet.  "Oh, did you ever meet Brian's mother?"

            Ms. Dillon sighed.  "Regan Allen.  I only met her once.  She came to a conference, only after I called about twenty times.  It was at 3:45 in the afternoon ad she was hung over.  She reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.  She was pregnant at the time and I remember being worried."

            "Worried?" Elliot asked.

            "I was afraid that she'd either kill the baby or give it FEA."

            "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome," Olivia said softly.  "He doesn't.  He was lucky."

            Back in the car, Elliot turned to his partner.  "Liv?  You got awfully quiet in there."

            "I'm okay," she said, staring straight ahead.

            Elliot reached over and turned her chin so she was facing him.  "Talk to me."

            "He's just a little boy, Elliot.  He should be playing soccer and teasing his little sister.  Not living in that shit hole trying to make sure that he and Maggie and Jacob don't starve or get beaten or…or raped."  Tears streamed down Olivia's face and without a word Elliot leaned over, wrapping his arms around her and held her.

            Elliot could feel her tears wetting his shirt as she clung to him.  "He's okay now, Liv.  He's going to get a chance at a normal childhood because of you.  They all will."

            Olivia sniffed and pulled away, wiping her eyes quickly.  "I have to catch her, El.  I need to make sure she won't ever get those kids back again."

            "She won't," Elliot promised. "No judge would ever send them back there."

            Olivia smiled slightly.  "Thank you."

            "No problem."  Elliot turned on the car.  "Where to now?  You want to go back to the apartment?"

            "No, it's almost noon.  Let's get back to the station and bring the kids some lunch."

            "Sounds like a plan.  Can you call Fin and Munch, let them know what's going on?"

            Olivia called Munch, and then turned to Elliot.  "Could you not tell anyone that I…you know."

            "Cried?"

            "Yeah.  They'd never let me live it down."

            "Sure."

            "Thanks."

            As they drove, something that the principal said began to bother Elliot.  "Ms. Williams said that Brian's family moved to Georgia over Christmas.  What are they doing back in New York?"

            "Brian said that Jacob was born on January 20.  Maybe it has something to do with that."

            Olivia and Elliot walked into the station half an hour later, laden down with bags from Panera.  Olivia looked around, not seeing the kids until Cragen's door flew open and Maggie raced out, heading straight for Olivia.

            "Livvy, Livvy!  You came back!"

            Elliot laughed as Maggie wrapped her arms around Olivia's legs.  Olivia handed her bag to Elliot and crouched down, wrapping her arms around Maggie.  "I promised I would," Olivia said.  "Elliot and I brought lunch, where are your brothers?"

            Maggie pointed towards Cragen's office.  "In there.  Hi, Elliot."

            Elliot grinned.  "Hey Maggie."  It wasn't much, but it was a start.

            "Did you guys have fun with Captain Cragen?" Olivia asked as they began walking toward Cragen's office.

            "You're more fun," Maggie answered.  "I misseded you."

            "I missed you too, Maggie."  Olivia and Elliot entered Cragen's office to find a rather harried looking Captain.  Jacob was crying, his sobs bouncing off the walls of the small office.

            "Have fun?" Elliot asked with a smirk.

            "Jacob likes you guys better," Brian said as he stood up from Cragen's computer.

            "He kept crying," Cragen said, looking exhausted.  

            "Come here big guy," Elliot said, putting the bags down and taking the baby from Cragen.  The baby started to calm down immediately.  "How were the other kids?"

            "Brian took care of Jacob most of the time and Maggie just stared out the window, waiting for you to get back."

            "Are you guys hungry?" Olivia asked as she grabbed the Panera bags and balanced them and Maggie.  "We brought lunch."  She smiled at Cragen.  "And to thank you for baby-sitting, we got you a sandwich and soup."

            "Thanks."  

            They went back to Olivia and Elliot's desks and separated the food.  Brian took a bite of his turkey sandwich before looking at Olivia.  "Did you find my mom?"

            "Sorry Bri.  But we went to your school.  How come you don't go to school anymore?"

            "Mom said that I couldn't go to school after Christmas because I had to take care of Maggie and Jacob.  But I had to tell everyone that we were moving.  Am I going to be in trouble for lying?"

            "No, of course not," Elliot said, ruffling the boy's hair gently.

            Maggie tugged on Olivia's arm.  "Livvy, I hafta go."

            Olivia's brow furrowed.  "Go?"

            "To the potty," Maggie said, rather insistently. 

            "Oh," Olivia said, understanding lighting her eyes.  "I'll take you.  Elliot?"

            "I'll hold down the fort here," he assured her with a smile.

            Maggie slid off Olivia's lap and Olivia led her to the bathroom.  "Do you need help?" Olivia asked, not sure at what age children could handle that task themselves.

            "Nuh-uh.  I can do it."

            "Okay, I'll wait right out here."

            Maggie walked into the stall and Olivia waited patiently.  When Maggie emerged she looked up at Olivia shyly.  "I can't do the button."

            Olivia looked at her, confused, and crouched down.  "What do you mean, honey?  What button?"

            Maggie pointed to the button of her jeans, which Olivia quickly fastened.  "Let's get your hands washed and we can go finish our lunch."

            Olivia lifted Maggie and turned on the water, testing the temperature.  Maggie was playing with the soap on her hands when she asked, "Do we have to go home later?"

            Olivia rinsed Maggie's hands and dried them before she sat Maggie on the edge of the sink.  "No, you're not going back home.  You and Brian and Jacob are going to stay with something called a foster family.  They're going to take care of you and keep you safe."

            "Do they hit?"

            "They shouldn't," Olivia answered.  She knew that sometimes the foster care system didn't protect the children in their care as well as they should have.  But she was going to do everything in her power to make sure they were safe.  "I'm going to give Brian a card with my phone number on it and if anyone hurts you, Brian can call me and I'll come get you, okay?"

            Maggie nodded.  "Can I have one too?"

            "A card?"  Maggie nodded and Olivia smiled, lifting her off the sink.  "Sure.  Do you know how to use a telephone?" she asked as they walked back to Olivia's desk.

            "No."

            "That's okay, we'll practice.  Do you know your numbers?"

            "Uh-huh."

            The group finished lunch and Olivia began to feed Jacob.  Cragen had told her and Elliot that the most important thing they could do was to take care of the kids until DCFS showed up.

            In an effort to teach Maggie how to use a telephone, Olivia wrote the number for Elliot's private line on a piece of paper and explained that Maggie needed to match the numbers.  Maggie hit the buttons carefully and held the phone to her ear.

            Elliot answered the phone as Brian played Spider Solitaire on the computer.  "Hello?" he said with a smile, knowing it was Maggie.  Maggie giggled and Elliot could hear Olivia coaching her to say hello.

            "Hi Elliot," Maggie giggled.

            "Hi Maggie," he answered.  "How are you?"

            "Good.  K, bye!"

            Olivia helped Maggie hang up the phone and her eyes met Elliot's, silent laughter passing between them.  Maggie practiced a few more times until Olivia was fairly certain that she could dial a phone correctly.  Maggie began playing with her doll, brushing her hair gently and humming to herself.  Olivia held Jacob in her left arm so she could work on some paperwork left over from the day before.  Following her lead, Elliot rolled up his shirtsleeves and started catching up also.

            Brian looked up from the computer and stood, walking over next to Elliot and pointed to his tattoo.  "Wow," he said softly.  "Did it hurt?"   

            Elliot smiled and turned his arm so Brian could see the tattoo better.  "When I got it, it hurt.  Not anymore."

            Maggie had watched the exchange and slid off Olivia's lap to investigate.  She walked shyly over to Elliot and touched the tattoo gently with one finger.  "What's that?"

            Elliot grinned, happy that she apparently trusted him enough to go near him without clinging to Olivia.  "It's called a tattoo.  It's like this."  Elliot took a pen out of his desk and instructed Maggie to make a fist.  When she did, he drew a smiley face on the back of her hand.

            Maggie grinned.  "Livvy, look!  I have a 'too!"

            Olivia laughed.  "It's beautiful, Maggie."

            Maggie stared at Elliot's, tracing it with one finger.  "Elliot, they forgot to color it," she said seriously.

            Elliot laughed.  "I guess they did.  How about you color it in for me?"  He pulled a pack of markers out of his desk drawer and offered them to the little girl.  Maggie began working on carefully coloring in Elliot's Marine tattoo.  Most of it was out of the lines, since she was so young.  After a few minutes, Elliot's arm got tired of resting in the awkward position he had it.  "Why don't you come sit on my lap?" he suggested carefully, not wanting to scare her.  "Then you can reach it better."

            Maggie thought about it for a second, and then slowly nodded.  "Okay."  Maggie let Elliot lift her onto his lap and leaned against him as she colored.  Within ten minutes, Maggie was sound asleep in Elliot's arms, leaning back against his chest with the marker still clutched in her hand.

            "Liv," Elliot whispered.

            Olivia looked up and smiled.  "Do you want me to take her?" she whispered back.

            "No, I've got her."

            Fin and Munch walked into the station house around 2:30.  Olivia held a finger to her lips, indicating the two sleeping children.  Brian was sitting in an empty chair, reading his book, even though he had to go to Olivia every couple paragraphs to ask her what a word meant.  

            "What did you find?" Olivia asked.

            "Some neighbors said they heard Regan hitting the kids, a couple others said that she was prostitute who works out of Central Park.  But she usually leaves the kids alone in the apartment," Fin said, disgust obvious in his voice.

            "I wonder why she didn't two nights ago?" Elliot asked, turning to face his co-workers while being careful not to wake Maggie.

            Munch shrugged.  "One woman said that a man came to the apartment a lot.  Apparently he fought with Regan three nights ago."

            "Do we have a description?" Olivia asked, getting up to pace.

            "No.  She said that she heard the voices through the wall."

            Olivia nodded.  "Okay.  So we have a prostitute who b-e-a-t-s her kids and leaves them alone…"

            "Olivia?" Brian asked, tugging gently on her elbow.  "I can spell."

            Olivia laughed in spite of herself.  "Sorry.  The question is, who is the mystery man?  Brian, do you know who the man is that comes to your house?"

            Brian nodded but before he could speak Cragen came out of his office.  "CSU just called," the captain said.  "They lifted Regan's prints from the apartment, the kids', and you'll never guess who the other set came from.  Raphael Zapata."

            The detectives stared at him in shock.  "You're kidding," Fin said finally.

            Cragen shook his head.  "I wish."

            Olivia crouched to Brian's height.  "Do you know who Raphael Zapata is?"

            Brian nodded.  "He's my mom's boss.  He comes by sometimes.  He's the man who hurt Maggie."

            Elliot gathered the little girl closer.  "Christ," he sighed.  "Could this day _get_ any better?"

            In answer to his question, the station house door opened and Melinda Johnston, a DCFS caseworker they'd met before walked in.  "Detectives.  Are these the children who need a foster home?"

            Olivia shifted so she was holding Jacob protectively against her chest and Cragen spoke up.  "Yes."

            "You put in a request for the children to be placed together?"

            "That's right," Olivia spoke up.  She was nervous and couldn't put her finger on why.

            "Well, there's a problem with that.  There are no openings in any of our homes for three children.  So we'll either have to separate them or place them in a home."

            "No," Olivia spoke up firmly.  "They can't be separated."

            "Olivia," Cragen said warningly.  

            "Look, Brian's spent most of his life taking care of his brother and sister.  I'm not going to have them yanked apart because the system can't handle keeping a family together!" Olivia exclaimed, drawing Brian close to her side.  

            "Then we'll put them in a children's home and hope that something opens up," Melinda said smoothly.

            "Over my dead body.  They've been through hell and they deserve a real home!"

            Melinda exhaled in frustration.  "What do you want me to do Detective Benson?"

            "I'll take them," Olivia said in that voice that said it was better not to argue.

            "You're not licensed for foster care," Melinda pointed out.

            "Then I'll apply for emergency certification."

            "And why do you think that the children would be better off with you than in a state-approved facility?"

            Olivia counted to ten silently so as not to snap.  She made it to six before speaking.  "Because I found them.  They're already comfortable with me and trust me."

            "You work a dangerous job with erratic hours.  And you're single," Melinda said.

            "If Olivia gets temporary custody, she'll have the rest of the week off to make arrangements for child care and for Brian to go to school," Cragen said.  Despite the fact that his hours with the kids had been hectic, to say the least, he couldn't deny that Olivia seemed to have a special bond with them.

            Melinda stared at the detectives.  Elliot was holding the little girl close to him while Olivia held the baby and stood slightly in front of the other boy.  The other detectives had looked like they'd agree with Olivia taking the children more than the other options.  Melinda sighed.  "I'll start putting the paperwork through now.  The temporary license is only for three months though.  If you want to keep them, you'll have to start on the paperwork soon."

            "I'll start it tomorrow," Olivia said, smiling.  "Thank you."

            Melinda nodded.  "Take care of them."

            "I will," Olivia promised.

            Melinda left and Elliot raised an eyebrow at his partner.  "Liv, can I talk to you?"

            Olivia nodded and transferred the sleeping baby into Fin's arms while Elliot set Maggie down in his chair.  They walked into an interrogation room and Elliot closed the door.  "Are you sure this is smart?" he asked.

            "Elliot, I promised Brian that they could stay together.  I promised to protect them and I can't do that if they're in separate homes or if they're in a group home."

            "You've been planning to do this all along, haven't you?"

            Olivia sighed and turned her back to her partner, drawing a ragged breath.  "I don't know.  Maybe part of me has.  I can't let them get hurt again."

            Elliot nodded and walked over to her, resting his hands on her shoulders.  "I'll do whatever I can to help you then.  I'll stop by the house after work and pick up some of the kids' old baby things that we don't use anymore.  You don't have a crib, do you?"

            Olivia gave him a _look_.  "I've never needed one before."  She paused before turning so she could look Elliot in the eye.  "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

            Elliot grinned and nodded.  "Yeah.  I do."

            They walked together back into the main room and Brian ran up to Olivia, looking hopeful.  "Are we going home with you?"

            "Yep," Olivia said with a grin.  "How do you feel about that?"

            Brian beamed.  "I'm glad we're going with you."

            "I'm glad too," Olivia said as she rested a hand on his head.

            Cragen walked up to Olivia.  "It's 3:00.  Take the kids home now, get them settled.  Take that paperwork home with you, you can fax it in tomorrow."

            Olivia smiled.  "Thank you.  Thanks for the time off, too."

            "When you come back, you better be ready to catch Zapata."

            "My pleasure," Olivia said, a slightly evil glint in her eyes.

            "Elliot," Cragen called.  "You head out too, help Olivia with the kids."

            "Are you sure?" Elliot asked.  Not that he didn't want to go, he just wasn't sure that he should.

            "Positive."

            Olivia began gathering the things she'd bought that day and getting the kids together.  She had the diaper bag over one shoulder and lifted Maggie into her arms.  Elliot took Jacob back from Fin and grabbed the rest of the bags.  As they walked out of the station house, Maggie woke up slightly.  

            "Where are we going?" she asked sleepily.

            "We're going home," Olivia said with a smile.

            "With you?" Maggie asked hopefully.

            "Yep, with me."


	4. Chapter 4

Once they arrived at Olivia's townhouse, Elliot dropped Olivia and the kids off.  "I'll stop by the house and pick up some things you'll need," he said with a smile.  "I'll be back in about an hour to set it up, okay?"

            "That's fine.  Have fun," Olivia responded with a smirk.

            Olivia led Brian and Maggie, who'd woken up in the car, up the steps to her townhouse.  She opened the door and dropped the keys on the table as Brian and Maggie followed her in. 

            "Your house is big," Maggie said in an awed whisper.

            Olivia smiled.  "Why don't we sit on the couch and talk for a little bit?"  She led them into the living room and Brian gaped at her entertainment center.

            "Wow, you have a big TV!  And a VCR!  And a DVD!  Wow!"

            Olivia laughed.  "Yep.  But I don't really have any movies for kids."  Brian and Maggie climbed up on the couch and Olivia sat in the chair across from them.  "I'm really happy that you guys are going to stay with me.  I want you to be happy here.  But there's one rule that's very important for you not to break."

            "We have to be quiet and leave you alone?" Brian asked.  "That's Mom's rule."

            Olivia's eyes softened.  "Oh no, not at all.  Because I'm a police officer, I have a gun.  And it's very important that, no matter what, you don't play with it.  Or touch it."

            "Why not?" Maggie asked, more curious than anything.

            "Because guns are dangerous and can hurt people and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

            "We won't touch it," Brian promised.

            Olivia grinned.  "Good.  Why don't we go upstairs and get your rooms set up?"

            "We get our own rooms?" Brian asked in surprise.

            "Sure."  Olivia had two guest rooms upstairs which weren't used for much except storage.  Both had beds and bedding, but that was pretty much all.  She hadn't known at the time why she'd bought the townhouse; it was really much bigger than she needed.  But now she was thankful she had the extra room.  Once they got upstairs, Olivia handed Jacob to Brian and grabbed two sets of sheets from the linen closet in addition to a plastic sheet.  She wasn't sure when or why she'd bought that, but thought it might be a good idea to use it on Maggie's bad.  She set about making the beds up, Brian getting the room furthest from hers since she figured it was more likely that Maggie would need her in the middle of the night.  She plugged nightlights into both bedrooms and the bathroom, showing the kids where both her room and the bathroom were before taking them downstairs to start dinner.

            In Queens, Elliot pulled up to the house he'd lived in for almost 20 years.  Though their divorce had been fairly amicable, he wasn't sure how willing Kathy would be to help out.  He rang the bell and waited.

            After a couple of minutes, Kathy opened the door, surprised obvious on her face.  "Elliot.  What are you doing here?  It's not your weekend with the kids until Friday and today's Tuesday."

            Elliot nodded.  He hated that he didn't get to see his kids every day.  "I know.  I actually came to borrow some things for a friend."

            Kathy's eyebrows drew together.  "What do you need?  For what friend?"

            "I need some of the kids' old baby things.  The portacrib, stroller, things like that."

            Now Kathy was really confused.  "Why do you need all of that?"

            Elliot sighed.  "Can I come in to talk about this?"

            Kathy stepped back, allowing Elliot to enter before she shut the door and crossed her arms over her chest.  "What's going on, Elliot?"

            "Okay, the baby things are for Olivia."

            Hurt flashed in Kathy's eyes.  "Knocked her up already, did you?  You always did work fast."

            "Not this again," Elliot snapped back.  "And, not that it's any of your business, but no, Olivia's not pregnant.  She became a foster mother today for three little kids, one of whom is only two months old."     

            Confusion darkened Kathy's face.  "How did that happen?"

            Elliot rolled his eyes and explained the condensed version of that day's events to his ex-wife.  By the time he finished, Kathy was staring at him in shock.

            "Oh my God," she whispered.  "She doesn't have _anything_ for the kids?"

            Elliot arched an eyebrow.  "When you were single and childless, did you?"

            "The last time I was single and childless, I was 20 and in college, El."

            "I guess you were.  But can I please take some things?  I'll bring them back when we figure out how long they're staying with her.  I don't want her to buy everything just to lose the kids."

            Kathy nodded.  Despite her dislike for Olivia, she wasn't about to punish three children who had been through far too much already.  "It's all in the attic.  Let me know what you take."

            Elliot smiled.  He knew Kathy wasn't happy but he'd hoped that she would be able to look past Olivia to the children.  "Thanks."

            Elliot headed up to the attic and began making trips down to his car with baby supplies.  He found several things he hadn't thought of, but would probably be helpful to have.  After 45 minutes he had all of the big things loaded, taking up all of the trunk and back seat.  

            "Kathy?" he called from where he was standing in front of the linen closet.  "Where are the sheets for the portacrib?"

            Kathy walked up from the basement and into the attic.  She emerged with two sets of sheets and two blankets.  "I'll put these in the bag."  She started down the stairs, Elliot close behind her.

            "What bag?" he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.

            Kathy turned from the kitchen table with a large shopping bag in her hands.  "Clothes that our kids have outgrown.  They're all clean and in good condition.  Don't worry about getting these back to me.  If she doesn't keep them, they'll still need clothes.  I put in some books too."

            Elliot smiled warmly at his ex-wife as he took the bag and set it on the ground.  "Thanks, Kath," he said as he hugged her gently.

            "No problem.  Are…are you staying with her now?"  
            Elliot shook his head.  "I'll help her get everything set up, then head back to my apartment."

            Kathy nodded.  "Maureen wanted to stay with you for half of her spring break, which is this week.  She was thinking she could go over on Thursday."

            "That's fine.  I'll call her tomorrow to set it up."  Elliot grabbed his coat and the bag of clothes.  "I'll pick Kathleen, Elizabeth, and Dickie up on Friday when I get off work."

            "Do you know what time?"

            "Liv's staying home this week to get everything settled with the kids, so unless we get a big case I should be here by 5:30.  I'll call though if I'll be late."

            Kathy nodded.  "Take care of yourself, Elliot."

            "You too," Elliot said as he climbed into the car, the bag of clothes on the seat next to him.  He made one more stop at Walgreens before arriving at Olivia's townhouse.  He grabbed the bags and pressed the buzzer.  Elliot heard the knob turn, then Olivia's voice call, "Ask who it is!"

            "Who is it?" Brian asked obediently.

            "Elliot." 

            The door opened and Brian grinned at him.  "Hi."     

            "Hey, Brian.  Where's Olivia?"

            "Making dinner.  What's in the bag?"

            "Let me finish bringing everything in from the car and I'll show you," Elliot answered with a smile. 

            Elliot dropped the bags on a chair as Brian went back to watching "Sponge Bob" with Maggie.

            "Elliot, I'm in here," Olivia called from the kitchen.

            When he walked into the kitchen, Elliot could hear Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" coming out of the small stereo she had in there.  One look at her and he had to laugh.  Olivia looked flustered, something he'd only seen on very rare occasions.  "You okay?" he asked teasingly.

            "This is a lot harder to do one-handed," Olivia answered, nodding at Jacob who she held in one arm.

            "If we can get everything out of my car, you'll have somewhere to put him."

            Olivia's eyebrows arched skeptically.  "She actually let you have it?"

            "I told you she would."

            "I didn't believe you though.  Kathy hates me, I have a hard time believing that she was willing to lend me anything."

            "I told her about the kids.  She even sent some clothes and books."

            Olivia smiled slightly.  "That was nice of her.  Let me turn this down and I'll give you a hand."

            "Smells good," Elliot said as they headed into the living room.  "What is it?"

            "Chicken parmesan.  If you're interested in staying, I made plenty."

            "I think I'll take you up on that offer.  Sounds better than the frozen dinner I was going to microwave."

            Olivia walked over to the couch and crouched down.  "Brian, I'm going to help Elliot bring some things in from his car.  Can you hold Jacob for me?"

            "Uh-huh."  Brian held out his arms and Olivia transferred the baby.

            "We'll be right outside if you need anything, okay?  Make sure that you don't touch the stove."

            "I know," Brian said.  "I'll make sure that Maggie doesn't either."

            When she saw how full Elliot's car was, Olivia's jaw dropped.  "Christ," she said softly.  "Thank you so much, El."

            "No problem.  Shall we get started?"

            "Sure.  Let's just put it in the living room, then sort it."

            "Sounds like a plan."

            Twenty minutes later, Olivia surveyed the pile of baby things in her living room in a state of semi-shock.  "Where should we start?" she asked, completely lost.

            "Where is Jacob sleeping?"

            "I was thinking in my room, that way when he wakes up he won't wake Maggie and Brian up too."

            "Good thinking.  So you'll need the portacrib, the changing pad…"

            "The what?" Olivia asked.

            "Changing pad.  It's…here."  Elliot held up a plastic covered pad.  "It's smaller than a changing table, but this way you don't risk getting your carpet or bedspread dirty."

            "Okay."

            "The Diaper Genie should go up there too.  It's a special garbage can for diapers, it keeps them from making the whole room smell."

            "Good thinking."

            "Here," Elliot grabbed the baby seat and set it on the ground, then placed a special head support in it.  "You can sit Jacob in here and carry him around the house.  This way you can use both of your hands.  The head support will keep his head from rolling to the side."

            Olivia took Jacob and laid him in the seat.  In response, Jacob let out a little baby snuffle and waved a hand.  "I think he likes it."

            "The stroller should stay down here.  I brought the double one so when Maggie gets tired of walking you don't have to carry her."

            "Should she go in the front or back?"

            "The front, that way Jacob can lie down and not disturb her.  The baby gym should stay down here too.  The high chair goes in the kitchen, the bathtub can go in the bathroom…"

            "What's this?" Olivia asked, holding up a pouch-looking thing.

            "You put it on, pouch in front, and Jacob can ride in that if you don't want to use the baby seat.  Should we start upstairs?"

            "I guess."

            Elliot grabbed the portacrib while Olivia took the Diaper Genie, bathtub and changing pad.  Elliot set up the crib and Olivia found the sheets.  After getting set up in her room, they started on the down stairs.  Olivia took care of setting everything else up while Elliot went out to her car and installed the car seat.  By the time he got back, Olivia had all of the kids upstairs and was going through Kathy's bag with them.  She'd made neat piles of clothes for each child and was explaining where they came from.  When Elliot stuck his head in Olivia's room, she looked up at him, appreciation written clearly on her face. 

            "Please, tell Kathy how much we appreciate all of this."

            "I will," he said with a smile.  "What do you guys think of your new clothes?" he asked the kids.

            "They're great!" Brian exclaimed happily.  "Do you really have a son?"

            "I sure do.  Dickie's ten.  I also have three daughters.  Elizabeth is Dickie's twin, then Kathleen is 16 and Maureen is 19.  Maybe you'll get to meet them this weekend."

            "Really?" Brian asked hopefully.  Maybe now that he lived with Olivia, he could have friends.

            Olivia raised her eyebrows questioningly and Elliot shrugged.  After she hung up Maggie and Brian's clothes and put Jacob's in an empty drawer, they all trooped downstairs.  While Maggie and Brian went back to "Sponge Bob" Olivia carried Jacob in his seat into the kitchen, setting him on the table, far enough back so she wouldn't worry about him falling off the edge.  

            "What was that about them meeting your kids this weekend?" she asked as she began boiling water for pasta.

"It's my weekend with them," Elliot explained.  "And I thought that Brian might like a friend his own age to play with."  
            "I don't want Kathy to get pissed at you for this."

"She won't.  What do you need help with?"

"Well, you could make the bread."

As they worked together in comfortable silence, letting Fleetwood Mac drown out the irritating laugh of Sponge Bob, Elliot couldn't help thinking that he could get used to this.  When Olivia called Brian and Maggie to dinner, she turned off the TV and looked at Elliot.  "I'm going to get real tired of that sponge aren't I?"

Elliot laughed as he helped Maggie wash her hands.  "Yeah.  He's a bit much to take if you're over…oh about 10 or so."

They ate dinner together, and then Elliot grabbed _Toy Story_, which he'd bought at Walgreens and put it in the VCR so he and Olivia could clean up.  

"So what else is in the Walgreens bag?" Olivia asked as she finished washing the dishes.

            "I picked up some Children's Motrin, in case one of them gets an earache or anything and we didn't have a baby monitor at the house.  There was a little…accident."

            Olivia raised her eyebrows.  "An accident?"

            "Yeah.  Dickie threw it down the toilet when he and Elizabeth were about 2."

            Olivia laughed.  "Great.  So now I have to worry about my things going down the toilet, too?"

            "Probably not for a few years.  Maggie's too old to throw things in the toilet and Jacob won't start until he's about 18 months.  Dickie liked the sound they made when they splashed down."  

            Olivia grinned and thought again what a wonderful father Elliot was.  Despite the frustration in his voice, there was also pride and amusement.  They finished up in the kitchen and joined the older kids in the living room.  When Olivia sat down, Maggie immediately crawled into her lap while Elliot fed Jacob.  The movie ended about 7:00 and Olivia stood, holding Maggie.  "Okay, let's see if we can get baths done and everyone in bed at a decent time.  I'll take Maggie upstairs first.  Brian, you can take a shower yourself, right?"  Brian nodded and Olivia started upstairs with Maggie in her arms.  

            She filled the tub with warm water, making sure it wasn't too warm for Maggie's skin, and then lowered Maggie into it.  Olivia washed her gently, being careful to avoid the bruises and cigarette burns, then leaned the little girl back and washed her hair.  She lifted Maggie out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel.  Olivia dressed Maggie in one of her, Olivia's, old t-shirts that covered all the way down to Maggie's toes.  Olivia finished drying Maggie's hair and sent her downstairs to send up Brian.  

            Brian showered by himself and Olivia let him wear another one of her old t-shirts.  Once he was clean, Olivia took Jacob upstairs and Elliot showed her how to give the baby a bath.  Elliot had told Olivia that Maggie should probably go to bed around 8:00, Brian around 8:30, and Jacob between 9:30 and 10:00, after his last bottle.  

            "Maggie, honey say good night to Elliot," Olivia instructed as she prepared to put Maggie down.

            "Night, Elliot," Maggie said with a wave.  She still didn't approach Elliot but she wouldn't shy away as much if he came near her.  Olivia led Maggie upstairs, Maggie still clutching the Cinderella doll that Olivia had bought her that morning.  Olivia read one story and was about to leave when Maggie grabbed her hand.

            "I love you, Livvy," Maggie said softly as she raised her arms for a hug.

            Olivia bent down and held Maggie tightly to her.  "I love you too, Maggie."  Olivia kissed her forehead, and then headed out of the room, being careful to leave the nightlight on and the door cracked.  She read a chapter of Harry Potter to Brian before tucking him in.  Finally, she was able to sit in the living room and really absorb what all had happened that day.  Elliot sat next to her, rubbing her back gently as Olivia buried her head in her hands.  

            "Big day," he said gently, hoping to draw her out of her shell.

            "No kidding," Olivia answered, her voice muffled by her hands.  "What am I doing, El?  What makes me think that I can be a mom to these kids?"

            "Looks to me like you're going a great job already," Elliot said softly.  "They trust you, that says a lot.  You know what Brian told me while you were tucking Maggie in?  He said that he was glad you found them because he knew that you'd take care of them."

            Olivia smiled slightly.  "Tomorrow I have to take them to the courthouse, get the paperwork to apply for permanent foster care.  Then I have to register Brian for school.  Do you want to meet for lunch?"

            Elliot smiled.  "Sure.  I'm going to head out, _some _of us don't have tomorrow off," he teased.

            "Trust me, I'll be doing plenty of work," Olivia returned.  She walked Elliot to the door.

            Elliot opened it and turned, stroking his knuckles gently down Olivia's cheek.  "Call me if you need anything, okay?  You'll do fine."

            Olivia grinned.  "Thanks."  She rose on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss over his cheek.  "Thank you for everything.  I couldn't have done it without you."

            "Anytime," Elliot answered softly.  As he walked down to his car, Elliot wondered when he'd begun to think of Olivia as something more than his partner and best friend, then grinned.  This could get interesting.

            Olivia closed the door and sighed.  She'd have to be careful.  She hadn't spent the last five years hiding her feelings from Elliot just to lose it now.  If he had any idea how she really felt…well she had no doubt he'd run for the hills as fast as he could.  Jacob let out a tiny whimper, alerting her that he needed attention.  She crossed back into the living room and lifted him from the baby seat cradled him in her arms.

            "What do you think, little man?  Do think you'll like living here?"  Jacob blew a spit bubble and Olivia laughed.  "I'll take that as a yes."

            The next day, Olivia was woken up at 6:00 by Maggie staring at her intently.  By 9:30, Olivia had managed to get all three kids dressed and fed, herself showered and dressed, and had even managed a cup of coffee.  She walked with them down to the courthouse, Jacob and Maggie in the stroller, and then headed towards Brian's new school.  It was only three blocks from the station house, which Olivia was happy about.  She registered Brian for school, then took all three kids to the daycare down the block and registered Brian for before and after school care and Maggie and Jacob for all day.  By the time she finished that Olivia was exhausted.  They met Elliot for lunch at McDonald's.  When they had finished eating, Brian and Maggie ran off to play on the PlayPlace while Olivia fed Jacob and finally got the chance to talk to Elliot in private.

            "Have you had any luck tracking down Regan?" she asked softly, not wanting Brian or Maggie to overhear.

            Elliot shook his head.  "I spent all morning with Little Briscoe, talking to other working girls in the area.  They all knew Regan and the kids, said that Regan had no family and they hadn't seen her in a couple days."

            Olivia sighed.  "I don't know if I want to find her or not.  She could lead us to Zapata, and then…you know."  

            Elliot nodded, knowing what Olivia hadn't said.  Then Alex could come home.  "Even if we do find her, she wouldn't take the kids from you," Elliot pointed out.  "Fin pulled the kids' birth certificates this morning.  All of them have the father listed as unknown.  Did you get them registered for school and daycare?"

            "Yeah.  I'm thinking that after this, Jacob and Maggie need naps.  Brian can take quiet time."

            Elliot nodded.  "Good plan.  I'll give you a call if we find anything."

            "Thanks.  It's weird, you know?  How quickly you can start thinking like a parent."

            "No kidding.  Maureen's visiting me tonight, for the rest of her break."

            "That'll be nice.  How's she liking NYU?" Olivia shifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp him while she asked.

            "She loves it.  I can't believe I have a daughter who's a sophomore in college."

            "And I have a 2-month-old," Olivia said with a laugh.  "You're getting old."

            Elliot threw a french fry at her.  A few minutes later Olivia gathered the kids and took them home while Elliot headed back to work.  They had a few leads the rest of the day, but nothing substantial.  

            That night, Olivia crashed into bed not long after Jacob.  Taking care of three kids by yourself was a lot of work.  She was asleep the second her head hit the pillow, only to be woken up what seemed like moments later by the shrill ringing of her phone.  "Benson," she muttered groggily.

            "Olivia, it's Elliot."

            Olivia sat straight up in bed and glanced at the clock.  3:45.  Crap.  "Elliot, what's wrong?"

            "John just called me.  They found a body they think is Regan's.  The fingerprints match those in her file.  But we need…"

            "You need Brian or Maggie to come I.D. the body."

            "Yeah," Elliot said softly.  "I'm sorry, Liv, if there was another way…"

            "I know.  I don't want to wake all of the kids up though, and I can't leave them here alone."

            Elliot nodded on his end.  "Why don't I bring Maureen by, she can stay at your place until we get back?"

            "Okay.  Thanks.  She can sleep in my bed, just as long as there's an adult here if Maggie wakes up."

            "Okay, I'll see you in fifteen."

            Olivia hung up the phone and got dressed as quickly as she could, clipping her badge onto her shirt and tucking her gun and handcuffs into her belt.  She tiptoed into Brian's room and rubbed his back gently.  "Brian, honey you need to wake up."

            Brian moaned and rolled over, opening his eyes and squinting at her.  "What's wrong?" he asked, voice thick with sleep.

            "Elliot just called.  Brian, do you know what happens when someone dies?"

            Brian nodded.  "Yeah."

            "I'm so sorry, baby.  But Elliot said that your mom died."

            Brian nodded slowly but didn't cry.  "Is that why she didn't come get us?" he asked softly.

            "They think so," Olivia said, gathering him into her arms.  "Now I'm going to have to ask you to do something very hard.  Elliot's going to come pick us up and take us to the hospital.  We're going to go into a room and there's going to be a woman lying on a metal table.  She's going to be very pale and look like she's sleeping.  You need to tell us if it's your mom, okay?"

            Brian swallowed and nodded.  "Okay.  Are Maggie and Jacob coming?"

            Olivia shook her head.  "Elliot's daughter Maureen is going to stay here until we get back."

            Brian nodded.  "Okay."

            "Why don't you get dressed and I'll wait downstairs?" Olivia suggested gently.  She left Brian to do that and heard Jacob beginning to cry.  She went back to her own room and lifted Jacob, carrying him into the kitchen to make his middle-of-the-night bottle.  As she waited for Elliot to arrive, she sat on the couch feeding Jacob.  The baby latched on to the bottle and sucked hungrily.  "You certainly have quite an appetite, Mr. Jacob," Olivia whispered.  

            Brian walked down the stairs and crawled up on the couch next to Olivia, cuddling close.  Without a second though, she slid an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to her side.  

            "Olivia?  Is it okay to be sad that my mom died, even if she was mean and hurt us?"

            "Oh honey.  Of course it is.  She was your mom, no matter how much she hurt you, part of you still loved her.  There's nothing wrong with being sad."

            Before she could say anything else, Elliot knocked on the door.  Olivia kissed the top of Brian's head before she rose to let him in.  Elliot was accompanied by a very sleepy Maureen.          

            "Thanks for coming, Maureen," Olivia said as she let them in.  "Jacob here is just finishing up so he should be fine.  Maggie is three and she's pretty shy, so don't be upset if she's afraid of you.  Your dad and I should be back in an hour or two, so Maggie shouldn't wake up either."  Olivia led Maureen upstairs.  "You can crash in my room, that way if Jacob does wake up, you'll hear him."

            "Thanks," Maureen murmured.

            Olivia shifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp and patted his back until he did.  "That's my boy," she said with a smile, laying the now sleeping baby back in the portacrib.  "If you have any problems, I have my cell phone and so does your dad."

            Maureen laughed slightly.  "We'll be fine, Olivia."

            "Okay, I'll see you in an hour or so."  

            On the way to the hospital, Olivia sat in the back seat with Brian.  They arrived at the hospital and as they were walking down the hall, Elliot and Olivia spoke softly, hoping that Brian couldn't hear them.

            "What happened?" Olivia whispered.

            "Drunk found her in an alley.  She was raped, shot in the chest four times.  She's been dead for about three days."

            Olivia sighed.  As they approached the morgue, Brian reached up and held Olivia's hand.  Olivia crouched down at the door.  "Do you want me to go in with you?"

            Brian nodded and Olivia led him into the morgue.  The ME raised her eyebrows at Olivia, obviously surprised to see a child there to identify a body.  The sheet was pulled back and Brian stared at the body for several seconds before nodding.  "Yes.  That's my mom," he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia felt tears sting her eyes as Brian clung to her hand.  The ME pulled the sheet back over Regan Allen's body and Olivia turned, leading Brian out into the hall.  She could feel his hand shaking slightly and see the tears in his eyes, but her attempts at comfort had been rebuffed.  As soon as Brian saw Elliot, he wrapped his arms around Elliot's waist and hung on tightly, tears streaking down his face.  

            Elliot felt his heart break for the little boy who was in many ways so grown up as he bent and lifted Brian into his arms, holding on tightly.  He met Olivia's eyes over Brian's head and she nodded slightly, Brian's tears reflected in her own dark brown eyes.  As Brian clung to his neck, Elliot shifted so he could wrap his other arm around Olivia's shoulders, drawing her close and gently kissing the top of her head.  Olivia wrapped her arm around Elliot's waist and held on, needing comfort herself.  Elliot knew that she was in pain for Brian, for all the kids actually.  Elliot led them out to the car and set Brian down in the back seat.

As Olivia slid in next to him, Brian began wiping at his eyes, trying to hide the tears.  Elliot glanced in the review mirror as Olivia wordlessly pulled Brian closer, hugging him to her side.  "Why don't we stop and get something to eat?" he suggested.  He didn't think that Maureen would mind staying a little later and he knew that Olivia would want to talk to Brian about what had happened.  Olivia nodded silently as Brian stayed glued to her side.  

Ten minutes later Elliot stopped outside of a Denny's.  Once they were seated, Elliot glanced down at the little boy next to him.  Brian was slowly tearing a napkin apart, apparently having the same nervous habit as Olivia.  Sensing that Brian didn't want to open up around her, Elliot suggested that Olivia go to the bathroom.  She looked at him like he was slightly crazy, after all, she should know if she had to pee better than he would.  But seeing the look in her partner's eye, Olivia nodded and left to go stand in the bathroom for a few minutes.

When he was sure that Olivia was out of earshot, Elliot turned to Brian.  "I'm sorry about your mom, Bri."

Brian nodded.  "Olivia said that I can still be sad that she died, even though she hurt us."

"That's right," Elliot said gently, resting a hand on Brian's shoulder.  "Sometimes, loving a parent is a complicated thing."

"I can't cry in front of Olivia," Brian said, almost to himself.  "Big boys don't cry, and I have to be a big boy now and take care of Maggie and Jacob."

Elliot pulled Brian into his lap and hugged him tightly.  "No Brian, you don't have to take care of Maggie and Jacob.  That's what Olivia's for.  She's going to take care of all of you.  And it's okay if you want to cry, even in front of Olivia, or Maggie or Jacob.  Men can and do cry, especially when something very sad happens."

"Do you cry?" Brian asked, looking up at Elliot.

Elliot sighed.  "Yeah.  Sometimes.  I cried when all of my kids were born and when my wife and I got divorced.  And sometimes when my cases are really sad, I cry."

Brian nodded wisely, then frowned.  "Elliot?  I'm sad that my mom died.  But is it okay to be a little happy?  She can't hurt us anymore."

Elliot sighed.  "Nothing that you feel is wrong, Brian.  Your mom did a lot of bad things to you and now you know that you're safe.  Olivia and I aren't going to let anything happen to you, I promise."

Brian nodded and wrapped his arms around Elliot.  As he let himself be comforted, Brian wondered if this was what having a dad was like.  Another guy to talk to and ask questions.  "Elliot?" he asked, pulling back slightly.  "Are you going to live with Olivia and us?"

Elliot laughed and shook his head.  "No, sorry.  I live in my own apartment.  But I'll come visit a lot, I promise."  
            Brian thought about that for a second.  "I guess that's alright."

Before they could say anything else, Olivia walked back to the table.  "Hey."  Her eyes questioned Elliot's and she clearly saw the response of "later" reflected in the deep blue eyes of her best friend.  The three of them shared a banana split before they finally decided to head home.  

Once they arrived back at the townhouse, Elliot took Brian up to bed while Olivia checked on the other two.  Maggie was sound asleep, curled on her side with her "Livvy" doll clutched in her arms.  Olivia sat gingerly on the bed and brushed a hand over Maggie's blonde curls.  "Sleep tight, sweetie.  I love you."  She kissed Maggie's forehead gently before standing and readjusting the blankets.  She left the room quietly, making sure to leave the door cracked a fair amount.  

Olivia crept into her room as saw that Maureen was sprawled on the bed, face down, completely out.  It looked like she'd fought a rather violent war with the blankets also since they were tangled around her and bunched up.  Laughing softly, Olivia did her best to cover Maureen back up before turning to Jacob's portacrib.  The baby was sleeping on his side with his knees curled tightly to his chest and his left thumb stuck in his mouth.  Olivia kissed her fingers and brushed them gently across his brow.  "Good night, angel," she whispered.  "I love you."

She tiptoed out of the room and found Elliot waiting for her in the hall.  "Are the other kids okay?" he whispered.

Olivia nodded.  "They're sound asleep.  Maureen too.  How's Brian?"

"Waiting for you to come say goodnight again."

"How's he doing?" Olivia asked, running a tired hand through her mop of short hair.

"He's confused.  He's sad, but part of him is relieved because she can't hurt them anymore.  He said that he didn't want to cry in front of you because big boy's don't cry."

Olivia sighed.  "What did you tell him?"

            "That men cry sometimes and that it's okay if he does too."

            "Thanks for talking to him, Elliot," Olivia said softly.  "If you wanna wait, I'll go say good night and meet you downstairs."  Elliot nodded and started towards the living room while Olivia opened Brian's door slowly.  "Hey, Bri."

            Brian looked up at her.  "Are you going to tell Maggie about Mom?"

            Olivia sat down on the bed and brushed a hand over his hair.  "Not right now.  I think that she needs to sleep.  I was going to tell her in the morning."

            Brian nodded and reached his arms out.  Olivia drew him into her lap and held him close, rocking back and forth.  "I love you, Brian.  You don't have to worry anymore because I'm going to take care of you, I promise."

            "I love you too, Olivia," he whispered, drifting off.  Olivia held him for a few more minutes before tucking him into bed and kissing his forehead gently.  

When she arrived downstairs, Elliot was sitting in the living room.  He gestured to the other end of the couch.  As she took the seat, Elliot handed her a coffee mug.  She looked at the coffee, slightly distrustfully.  She didn't want to drink coffee and then not be able to sleep for the little time she had left until the kids woke up.

            Reading her expression, Elliot smiled.  "It's decaf.  I thought you could use something warm."

            Olivia smiled gratefully.  "Thanks."

            "How are you doing?" Elliot asked gently.  "This isn't easy on you either."

            "No, it's not.  But right now, they," Olivia nodded her head towards the ceiling, "are my first priority.  And tomorrow morning, I have to find a way to tell a three-year-old that her mommy is dead."

            Elliot reached over and caught Olivia's hand in his.  "Liv, she's only three.  Maggie probably doesn't even know what death is.  And if she does know what it is, she certainly doesn't really understand it."

            Olivia nodded and squeezed Elliot's hand gently.  "I know.  But I want her to know.  I don't want her to grow up thinking that her mother just abandoned her."  Olivia paused.  "Do you think I should try to find a shrink for Brian?  Maybe Maggie too?"

            "I don't know.  Wait and see how they seem to be adjusting, maybe.  Kids are resilient, Liv.  If it seems in a few months like they're having problems, then yes.  But first they need to get used to life here, to not being afraid and beaten."

            Olivia nodded.  "Thanks for coming tonight.  I'm really glad that Brian could talk to you."

            "I didn't think either of you should go through this alone," Elliot answered softly.  "I know you could have handled it, but that doesn't mean that you should have had to all alone."

            Olivia nodded.  "Thank you."  She stifled a yawn and Elliot laughed.

            "How late do the kids sleep?"

            "Yesterday Brian didn't get up until about 8.  He'll probably sleep later though today.  Maggie was up by 6:00 though."

            Elliot laughed.  "You better get to bed then, it's almost 5:30 now."

            Olivia nodded.  "You too, you have to work in a few hours."

            Elliot groaned.  "Don't remind me.  I'll go wake Maureen up."  Ten minutes later, Elliot hugged Olivia good-bye and led Maureen, who was still half asleep, to his car.

Olivia collapsed on her bed and what seemed like only seconds after falling asleep, Maggie was tapping the back of her hand gently and whispering "Livvy."  Not willing to wake up yet, Olivia pulled Maggie up in bed with her and was thankful that, after cuddling close to her, Maggie fell back to sleep.  Olivia was woken up again at 8:00 by the now-familiar sound of a baby crying.  Leaving Maggie tucked in her bed, Olivia took Jacob downstairs and began fixing his morning bottle.  As she fed him, Olivia looked into Jacob's huge brown eyes and couldn't help but smile.  Over the last three days, she'd fallen completely in love with all three of the children.  

Maggie came downstairs a few minutes later.  "Wha'cha doing, Livvy?"

Olivia smiled.  "I'm giving your brother some breakfast."

Maggie climbed up on the couch and stroked Jacob's head gently.  "Hi, Baby Jacob," she said softly.  Then she looked at Olivia hopefully.  "Can I hold the baby?"

Olivia paused, thinking, then nodded.  "Sure.  Come sit on my lap."

Maggie obeyed and Olivia helped her hold Jacob, making sure that she supported his head.  After a few minutes, Maggie bent her head back to look at Olivia.  "Does Jacob love me?"

"Of course he does, sweetie.  You're his big sister."  Olivia paused, then decided to get it over with.  "Maggie?  Do you know what it means when someone dies?"

Maggie nodded.  "It's like they sleep for forever."

"That's right.  Baby, last night some policemen found your mom.  She died."

Maggie nodded.  "Oh.  Okay."

Olivia was only slightly surprised by Maggie's lack of response.  At three, she was really too young to understand.  "Hey Maggie, do you want to help me make breakfast?"

Maggie grinned and nodded.  They walked into the kitchen and Olivia pulled out the ingredients for chocolate chip pancakes.  Olivia grabbed a kitchen chair and pulled it up to the counter.  "I'll measure everything and you can put it in the bowl, okay?"

Maggie nodded.  "Where's Brian?"

"He's still sleeping honey.  After we make the batter, why don't you and I go wake him up?"

Maggie nodded.  Olivia carefully measured out the mix, which Maggie dumped gleefully into a large mixing bowl.  Next came the water.  Maggie giggled as she poured it in little rivers all over the bowl.  After Olivia helped Maggie add a couple handfuls of chocolate chips, she began mixing the batter, Maggie's hand clutching the spoon under hers.  When they were finished, Olivia carefully poured the batter onto the griddle in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head.  She remembered her own mother making them for her when she was little.  And when Serena wasn't hung over.

When they were finished, Olivia washed Maggie's hands.  "Okay, you can run wake up Brian now."

Maggie hurried off and Olivia took advantage of the downtime to make herself a pot of coffee and set the table.  Maggie and Brian ran into the room a few minutes later, Brian still looking sleepy but intrigued by the idea of Mickey Mouse pancakes.  After breakfast, Olivia took a quick shower and got dressed while Brian and Maggie watched "Stanley."  When she was done, Olivia made her bed and got Jacob dressed.  Then she called the two older kids upstairs and while Brian got dressed, she helped Maggie into a pair of pink overalls, a white and pink turtleneck, and her sneakers.  Then she carefully brushed Maggie's hair and pulled it into pigtails.  

Once everyone was ready for the day, Olivia wrapped Jacob in a blanket and placed him in the car seat, glad that the seat was detachable.  It had a base that stayed in the car but the actual seat came out so Olivia could carry Jacob around in that and not have to disturb him if he was sleeping.  

They piled into the car and headed for JC Penny's.  Olivia had realized that the kids all needed more clothes than Kathy had provided for them.  She headed for the toddler's section first, hoping that if she had something for Maggie to play with, she'd be entertained enough to let them get through the rest of the day.  Watching what Maggie gravitated towards naturally, Olivia grabbed several pairs of jeans and cute tops, mostly in pink and purple.  She also picked out a couple of little dresses and some necessities.  She also added a pink winter coat from the sale rack.  Even though the warm weather was hanging on, it was supposed to drop the next week.  As an afterthought, Olivia added a baby doll to the pile.  

They went to the baby section next and Olivia grabbed some more clothes for Jacob before they finally ended up in the boy's department.  By the time they were finished at Penny's, it was lunchtime and Olivia needed caffeine.  Badly.  She decided to bring them by the station house and see if Elliot wanted to do lunch with them.  

When they walked in, Maggie began pulling on Olivia's arm again to be picked up.  Carefully balancing the car seat, Olivia bent down and picked up Maggie with one arm.  Munch looked up and grinned.

"If it isn't the little mother," he said, teasing.

Olivia shot him a glare.  "Have you guys seen Elliot?  I thought we'd take him to lunch."

"Like a date?" Fin asked, joining his partner in making fun of Olivia.

"Of course not.  If it was, then you and John would have dates all the time," Olivia shot back.

Fin laughed at the horrified look on Munch's face as he stood and walked over to Olivia.  "He's in interrogation right now.  Hi, Brian.  How are you doing?"

"Okay."

"Hey there, Miss Maggie," Fin said, stroking her back gently.  "You look very pretty today."  Maggie kept her face buried in Olivia's shoulder, so Fin tried again.  "What did you guys do this morning?"

"Livvy took us shopping," Maggie whispered.

"That was nice of her.  Did you get any toys?"

"No, clothes," Brian answered.  "And after lunch we get to buy stuff for school."

"Ah, I always loved buying school supplies," John said, coming over to join them.  "When do you start school, Brian?"

"Monday.  Olivia took us there yesterday."

"Did you meet your teacher?"

"Not yet."

"That's tomorrow," Olivia said with a smile.  The smile turned into a grin when she saw Elliot emerge from the interrogation room.  "Hey!" she called.

Elliot looked up, then grinned back.  "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, ruffling Brian's hair.

"We thought you might want to join us for lunch," Olivia said, shifting Maggie slightly in her arms.

"Lunch sounds good."  Seeing Olivia struggle with the baby and Maggie, Elliot held out his hands.  "Want me to carry you, Maggie?"  Maggie shook her head.  "You can ride on my shoulders," Elliot tried to bribe her.  Maggie shook her head again.  Elliot shrugged and took Jacob's carrier.  "Where to?"

"McNally's?" Olivia suggested.  It was a pub that they frequented both during lunch and after work.  At lunch it was pretty family friendly.

"Sounds good to me.  Are we walking or driving?"

"I have the stroller in the trunk of my car," Liv said as she began walking towards the door.  "But it's buried under about 10 shopping bags."

"Driving it is," Elliot said with a laugh.  

"Bye, Livvy," Munch and Fin called out in unison, earning themselves a death glare as they broke out into laughter.

At lunch, Maggie allowed Elliot to sit next to her, something that Elliot considered to be a step in the right direction.  They managed to get through the meal without any mishaps and decided to walk back to the station house.  

"What are you and Maureen doing tonight?" Olivia asked as she kept one eye on Brian who was running ahead, then back to them again.

"Maureen has a date, so I'm spending some quality time with me," Elliot answered, carrying Jacob.

"Wanna come over for dinner?"

"Sure, what time?"

"Whenever you get off work.  Any good cases come in today?"

"Nah.  Munch and Fin are working Regan's case.  Cragen said that we were too close to it."

"Who were you interrogating then?"

"Oh, that.  A working girl who knew Regan and Zapata.  But he's using a different name now."

"Really?

"Marcos Costello.  Munch and Fin are researching, but so far nothing's come up.  It's like he goes underground, jumps up for a second, then goes back again before we can find him."

"But wait.  Brian knew him as Zapata.  Are we sure it's the same person?"

"The description matched, but if Zapata has a brother also involved in the operation it could be him also."

"Great," Olivia sighed sarcastically.

"Relax," Elliot said softly.  "We'll get him."

"I just wish I could help."

"I know," Elliot answered.  As they walked, Elliot tentatively reached over and linked his fingers with Olivia's.  She glanced at him, slightly surprised, then smiled.

After dropping Elliot back at the station house, Olivia loaded the kids into the car.  They stopped at Walgreens so Brian could pick out school supplies before running a last minute errand.  Fin's earlier comment about buying toys had stuck in Olivia's head and she realized that, except for Maggie's two dolls and Brian's Lego set, they didn't have any toys.  She stopped at Toys R Us and Brian stared up at the store.

"Why are we here?" he asked in awe.

"To buy toys, silly," Olivia answered with a smile as she managed to get Jacob into the pouch and situated against her chest.

"For us?" Brian asked disbelievingly.

"Do you not want new toys?" Olivia asked with a small smile.

"No!  I mean, I do!  But why?"

Olivia sighed sadly, she hated that Brian seemed to have such difficulty accepting good things.  She crouched down so she could look Brian in the eye.  "I want to buy you toys so you have things to play with and because I love you and you're such a great kid."

"Me too?"  Maggie asked, bouncing at Olivia's side.  "Me too, Livvy?"

Olivia laughed and wrapped an arm around Maggie's waist.  "You too, sweetie.  Are you guys ready to find some toys?"

"Yeah!" Maggie exclaimed excitedly.

"Brian?" Olivia asked gently.  She was determined that Brian would come to accept love and believe, without questioning, that someone could love him without hurting him.

Brian nodded, a shy smile appearing on his face.  "Can we get whatever we want?"

"Within reason.  How about we get some things for your rooms, too?"

"Why?" Brian asked.  His mother had never bought them things for no reason before.

"To make the rooms seem more like yours," Olivia answered simply.

"Okay," Brian said after a second.  He wanted the room at Olivia's to he his, he wanted to stay there forever.

They walked into the toy store and Olivia grabbed a cart, setting Maggie in the seat so she wouldn't run off.  The first aisle they found was stuffed animals.  Maggie let out an excited squeal.

"Aminals!"

Olivia helped Maggie pick out a brown teddy bear, a stuffed Labrador retriever, and an orange striped cat.  She also grabbed a black teddy bear and a floppy elephant for Jacob.  She wasn't sure if Brian was too old for stuffed animals but when she glanced over at him, Brian was gently stroking a stuffed lion, desire plain in his eyes.

"Why don't you bring your friend home with us?" she suggested gently.

"I'm too big for stuffed animals," Brian answered, his voice thick with sorrow.  "Mom said."

"Well I don't think you're ever too old for stuffed animals.  I have a teddy bear that Elliot gave me," Olivia said with a smile.

"Really?  How come?"

"How come Elliot gave him to me?"  Brian nodded.  "I had to go to the hospital because I was hurt and Elliot didn't want me to be alone."

Brian smiled and put the lion in the cart.  "Elliot's nice," Brian said as they headed for the game section.

Olivia grinned.  "I'm glad you think so.  Why don't you pick out a game or two?"

Brian perused the aisle carefully, considering all of his options before he came back, holding a Simpson's version of Clue and Disney Monopoly.  Olivia had already grabbed Candy Land and a barnyard memory game for Maggie.

"Olivia, can we get Uno?  We used to play it at school during indoor recess."

"Sure."

Brian scampered off and was back less than a minute later.  As they continued their journey through the store, Brian looked up at Olivia.  "Is Elliot your boyfriend?"

Olivia almost choked on the gum she was chewing.  "Why would you think that?" she asked cautiously.

"Because he comes over a lot and he helps you and he makes you smile."

"You make me smile too, and you're not my boyfriend," Olivia said with a grin as she tweaked Brian's nose gently.

"That's because I'm a kid," Brian giggled.  "Elliot's a grown-up."

"Well no, Elliot's not my boyfriend.  He's my best friend."

"Can't your boyfriend be your friend, too?"

"Of course they can.  But Elliot's not."  _Yet,_ she added silently.

By the time they got all the way through the store the cart was completely full.  Jacob had fallen asleep in the pouch and Olivia had one hand unconsciously holding the baby while she pushed the cart with the other.  Maggie was overdue for her nap and getting cranky.  She'd started whining when Olivia refused to buy a large kitchen play area for her, despite the fact that she'd won on the dollhouse issue.  Brian was even starting to droop.  He'd stopped walking and now stood at the front of the cart, holding on while Olivia pushed him.  

After paying for everything, and trying not to think of what her Visa bill would look like that month, Olivia loaded the car.  It was packed with toys and new everything for the kids' rooms.  Once she'd started, she'd realized just how inappropriate all of her extra bedding was for children.  In desperation, she slid the dollhouse box into the back seat of the car, resting it on the floor.  Once the children were situated, Olivia looked in the mirror and smiled.  Maggie was already almost asleep, clutching her teddy bear, Jacob was still sleeping in the car seat, and Brian was staring out the window.

They got home and Olivia tucked Jacob in for his nap.  When she was sure that he was down, she put Maggie into her own bed so she could strip Maggie's sheets.  Brian went to his room and began trying to construct the potions lab from Harry Potter with his Lego set.  Olivia quickly washed Maggie and Brian's new sheets before remaking Maggie's bed with they butterfly sheets she'd picked out.  On a whim, Olivia had also picked up a couple of sets of pink Christmas lights to string around the room to replace the night light.  Once the bed was made and the lights hung, Olivia set up Maggie's new toys and covered the empty electrical sockets with plugs that she'd also bought.  When she was done, Olivia turned off the lights and stood back to survey her work.  It was perfect, just the way that a little girl's room should look.  The closet was full of clothes and the small book shelf now held the books that Kathy had sent plus a few that they'd bought that day.  The pink lights cast a glow over the entire room making it look warm an inviting.

The next thing to be tackled was the swing that she'd bought for Jacob.  She'd left the box in the living room, figuring that was the best place for it.  As she opened it, she couldn't help but groan.  It had parts.  She hated putting stuff with parts together.  It took her about half an hour, but the swing was finally set up.  She grabbed the last three bags which contained everything for Brian's room, and knocked on the door.

"Bri?  Can I come in?"

"Yeah."   
            Olivia opened the door and stared at the scene in front of her.  Brian had every piece to the Lego set spread out on the floor and the directions in front of him.  "How's it coming?" she asked.

"It's really hard," Brian answered, frustration thick in his voice.  "Can you help me?"

"Well I can try, but I was never very good with things like this.  Elliot's coming over tonight, I bet he'll help you."

"Okay!" Brian answered.  He began putting all of the pieces back in the box, then carried it down to the kitchen table.  When he got back, Brian looked eagerly at the bags.  "Can we put my stuff up now?"

"We sure can."  Olivia emptied the bags and began decorating the room in the soccer theme that Brian had chosen.  "You like playing soccer?" she asked.

"Yeah, we used to play in gym.  It's really fun."

"Maybe you can play in the fall," Olivia suggested.  "I think that we already missed registration for the spring session."

"Really?" Brian asked, excited.

"Why not?  If you want, I can call the park district tomorrow and see if maybe you can play baseball in the summer."

Brian's face almost split, his grin was so big.  "Thanks, Olivia!" he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You're welcome," she said, hugging him back.  When they finished, Olivia and Brian began pulling out his new toys.  There was a Nerf basketball net hanging on the back of his door and a small collection of Jurassic Park dinosaurs sitting on the top of the book shelf.  

"Why don't we put the games downstairs, that way we don't have to run up here every time we want to play something," Olivia suggested, gathering Brian's games.  She'd already put Maggie's down there.

"Okay."  

They headed downstairs and Brian tried to work on his Lego model again at the kitchen table while Olivia went through the house baby proofing it by covering all of the exposed outlets and putting child proof latches on all of the drawers and cabinets that Maggie or Jacob, eventually, could reach.  She was starting on the upstairs when she heard Jacob start to whimper.  She walked into her room and picked Jacob up, talking softly to him as she changed his diaper and carried him downstairs.  Once he was safely fed and swinging gently back and forth in his new toy, Olivia headed upstairs to finish baby proofing the house. 

"Livvy?" Maggie called sleepily.

Olivia walked into the room and smiled at the little girl ensconced in her bed.  "Hey sleepyhead.  How are you feeling?"

"Good.  My teddy bear slept good."

Olivia sat on the bed.  "Well, I'm very glad.  He looked pretty tired when we got home."  Maggie nodded in agreement.  "What's your teddy bear's name?"

Maggie shrugged.  "Dunno."

            "That's okay.  I'm sure you'll think of one.  Ready to go see your new room?"

            Maggie nodded eagerly.  Olivia helped her off the bed and Maggie held her hand as they walked down the hall.  When Olivia opened the door, Maggie gasped.  "It's pretty!" she exclaimed.

            "I'm glad you like it."

            "Look at my dollies!" Maggie said happily, pointing to the stuffed animals and dolls that Olivia had arranged on the bed.  They spent a few minutes playing before Olivia convinced Maggie that they should go downstairs.

            As she stared into the open fridge, Olivia heard the doorbell ring and Brian's shout that he'd get it.  A few minutes later Brian dragged Elliot into the room.  Olivia turned from the fridge with an apologetic look on her face.  "I'm sorry, El.  I got distracted and haven't even thought about…dinner," she finished softly when she saw that Elliot was holding bags of food from her favorite Chinese restaurant.  "You didn't have to," she said, feeling slightly guilty.  "I invited you…"

            "I know," Elliot answered as he began unloading the bags.  "But I figured that you'd have a pretty busy day."

            "Thank you," Olivia said softly, resting a hand on his arm.  

            Elliot turned and their faces were only inches apart.  They stared at each other for a moment before both broke away abruptly, Olivia beginning to wash the kids' hands while Elliot grabbed plates and silverware.  

            As they sat down to dinner, Elliot looked at the Lego structure that was now sitting on the counter.  "That's pretty impressive, Brian."

            Brian blushed.  "It's really hard.  After dinner, can you help me with it?"

            "Sure.  Nice job with the swing, Liv." 

            Olivia smiled, blushing slightly.  "Thanks.  We made a little Toys R Us run today."

            "Is that where you got your bear, Maggie?" Elliot asked the little girl who was sitting on Olivia's lap, eating with one hand and holding her bear with the other.

            Maggie nodded.  "Uh-huh."

            "What's his name?"

            "Mr. Bear," Maggie answered softly, without a second thought.

            "What did you get, Brian?"

            While Brian filled Elliot in on the toys that he'd gotten, including the name of every species of dinosaur that he now owned they finished eating.  Olivia cleared the table so Brian and Elliot could work on the potions lab.  Seeing Elliot and Brian with their heads bent together, one dark and one fair, Olivia felt her heart swell.  She made a mental note to go out and get a new camera to capture moments like this.  Her last camera had taken an unfortunate dive off of the top shelf of her bookcase and broken into several pieces.

            While Brian and Elliot worked on the Lego project, Olivia played with Maggie and her new dollhouse.  Around 7:00, Olivia drew Maggie's bath and started getting her ready for bed.  Once she was all clean and ready, Olivia carried Maggie back downstairs and set her on the floor.  Maggie ran over and hugged Brian tightly.

            "Night, Brian."

            Brian bent over and hugged his sister.  "Good night, Maggie."

            Then Maggie tiptoed around Elliot and over to Jacob, who was sitting in the infant seat on the table.  Maggie climbed onto a chair and carefully bent over, kissing the top of Jacob's head.  "Good night, Baby Jacob."

            She climbed back down from the chair and ran over to Olivia, who picked her up.  Olivia bounced Maggie slightly on her hip.  "Can you say good night to Elliot?"

            Maggie waved from her position safe in Olivia's arms.  "Night, Elliot."

            Elliot smiled and stood up.  He walked over to where they stood and gently stroked a finger down Maggie's cheek.  She rested her head against Olivia's shoulder, but didn't bury her face, which was progress.  "Good night Maggie.  Sleep tight."

            Olivia carried Maggie back up to her room and tucked her in.  "Do you want a story?"  Maggie nodded.  "Which one?"

            "The Princess book!" Maggie exclaimed.

            Olivia laughed, sensing that this could become a favorite, and grabbed the pink anthology of Disney stories that they'd found that day.  By the time she finished the story of Cinderella, Maggie was sound asleep clutching her teddy bear and Cinderella doll to her.

            Olivia took care of Jacob's bath next, dressing him in a sleeper with trains on it before she carried him back downstairs.  "Wow, that looks great," she said, admiring the structure that Elliot and Brian had worked on.

            "Brian did most of it," Elliot said with a smile.  "He's great with this stuff."

            Brian blushed.  "Elliot helped a lot."

            "Well then you both did a great job.  It's bath time though Bri."

            Brian started to run up the stairs, then turned and looked at Olivia.  "Will you read me more Harry Potter tonight?"

            "Sure."

            "And…can Elliot come too?" he asked nervously.

            "Of course he can," Olivia answered.  Brian beamed at her and hurried up the stairs.  A couple of minutes later, they heard the shower turn on.

            "You don't mind helping tuck him in, do you?" Olivia asked.

            "I never miss a reading of Harry Potter," Elliot responded with a laugh.

            "Do you want some coffee?"

            "Coffee would be good."  He followed Olivia into the kitchen and carefully moved the Legos from the table to the counter.

            "Thanks for helping him with that.  Brian adores you."

            Elliot grinned.  "The feeling's mutual, he's a great kid.  Sounds like you went a little crazy at the toy store today."

            "They're kids and they didn't have anything to play with and probably never had," Olivia snapped defensively, her back to him.  "I'm trying to give them a real childhood."

            The sudden venom in his partner's voice took Elliot aback.  "Hey," he said gently, coming up behind her and resting his hands on her shoulders.  "I was just teasing, Liv.  I think it's great that you're doing so much for them.  I'm just worried that you're getting in too deep, too fast."

            Olivia turned, confusion written all over her face.  "What?"

            "Look around you, Olivia.  How much money have you spent on toys and clothes?  What are you going to do if, for some reason, you don't get approved for long term foster care?"

            "That's not going to happen," Olivia said firmly as she turned around.  The very idea sent a stab of fear through her heart.

            Elliot sighed, not sure if he should say what he was thinking.  "For the last six years I've watched you, Liv.  You've kept your heart off the table and protected yourself.  But it would take an idiot to not notice that you love these kids.  I don't want to see you hurt."

            Olivia smiled sadly.  "I can't _not_ love them, El."

            "I know."  Elliot looked at her seriously.  "I can protect you and watch your back when we're on the job Liv, but I can't protect your heart."

            They were interrupted by Brian running down the stairs, his hair still wet.  "I'm ready!"

            Olivia forced a smile.  "We'll be up in a second, Bri.  Why don't you find where we stopped last night?"

            "Okay!"

            Olivia looked back at Elliot who smiled.  "No matter what," he said softly.  "You're doing a great job with them, they all love you and you're making such a huge difference in their lives.  Even if, God forbid, you do lose them, they'll remember you and how wonderful you were to them and how much you love them."

            Tears rolled down Olivia's cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Elliot's waist.  "I can't lose them, Elliot," she whispered as his arms came around her, stroking her back and hair.

            "I know," he whispered.  "We're going to do everything we can to keep them with you."

            Olivia sniffed and pulled back, wiping her eyes.  "Brian's waiting for us."

            Elliot nodded and as they walked up the stairs he rested a hand lightly on her lower back.  They arrived in Brian's room and found him sitting in bed with his lion in one arm and the book in the other.  Olivia sat next to him on the bed while Elliot sat at the foot and listened as Olivia and Brian took turns, each reading a page until Brian's eyelids started to droop and Olivia took over reading completely.  Olivia slid Brian under the covers and kissed his forehead. 

            "I love you," she whispered.

            Elliot bent and kissed Brian's forehead as well before they quietly left the room.  Once they were downstairs, Elliot heated Jacob's bottle while Olivia straightened up the living room.  Elliot sat on the couch, Jacob in one arm, and patted the seat next to him.  Olivia sat down and Elliot draped his other arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him.  With a smile, Olivia rested her head on her partner's firm chest and reached over to play with Jacob's fingers while he ate.  After a couple of seconds, he latched on to her fingers and held on until he drifted off to sleep.  

            Together, they brought Jacob upstairs into Olivia's room.  Elliot handed the baby to her and she kissed him goodnight, whispering that she loved him.  Elliot kissed the baby goodnight as well and laid him down in the portacrib.  When he straightened, he wrapped his arm around Olivia's waist and she did the same, leaning her head against his shoulder.  They stood like that for several minutes, just watching Jacob sleep.  Before heading back downstairs Olivia peeked in at Maggie to make sure that she was all right, then did the same with Brian.

            When they got back downstairs, Olivia looked at Elliot, feeling shy for the first time since she'd known him.  "You wanna watch a movie or something?"

            Elliot grinned.  "Yeah."  They settled onto the couch, Elliot again tucking Olivia close to his side.  She flipped through the channels until she grinned and Elliot groaned.

            "Again, Liv?  Haven't you seen this movie enough?"

            "It's a great movie," she argued.  "It won Oscars!"

            "But we've seen it a million times."

            "So then this will make a million and one," Olivia responded with a laugh.

            Elliot sighed and leaned back to watch _Silence of the Lambs._  During a commercial break, Olivia tilted her head back to see Elliot's face.  "You know what Brian asked me today?"

            "What?"  Elliot's hand came up to toy with the hair at the nape of her neck, which sent shivers down Olivia's spine.

            "He asked if you were my boyfriend."

            Elliot laughed.  "What brought this on?"

            "I really don't know.  He said that you were nice, then just…asked.  He said it was because you're over here a lot and you help me and make me smile."

            "Well that's interesting," Elliot said with a smile of his own.  

            "Yeah," Olivia whispered, more to herself than Elliot.  When the movie ended, Olivia uncurled herself from the couch and Elliot stood, stretching.  

            "I'd better get home, I want to be there to glare at Maureen's date."

            Olivia laughed.  "God El, you're awful!"

            "Are you telling me that when Maggie starts dating you won't be protective?"

            "I don't even want to think about it," Olivia answered as they walked towards the door.  When they got there, both stood, awkwardly.  "Thanks for everything today," Olivia said finally, wishing it was something slightly more witty."

            "No problem," Elliot answered.  "If you need anything, you'll call?"

            "Of course."

            They paused again.  Finally, Olivia stood on her toes and brushed a kiss over his cheek.  Without thinking, Elliot slipped his arms around her waist and drew her closer, capturing his lips with his.  Olivia sank against him as her arms twined around his neck and their tongues brushed against each other, teasing and inviting.  When they finally pulled away, her lips were swollen and both looked rather dazed.  

            Olivia was the first to speak.  "Wow," she whispered.  "That was new."

            " I know," Elliot replied, resting his forehead against hers.  "I'd say I'm sorry…"  
            "Why?" Olivia asked softly.  "I'm not."

            "Neither am I."  Elliot grinned.  "So you told Brian I'm not your boyfriend…maybe we should amend that."

            "Yeah, we definitely should," Olivia answered softly.  "But let's not tell the kids yet, mine or yours.  I don't think mine would be able to keep it a secret and I don't want yours to be upset."

            "Mine won't be upset Liv, they like you."

            "Liking me as their father's partner and liking me as their father's girlfriend are two totally different things."

            "Okay, we'll keep it between us for now."

            Olivia grinned.  "You pick up the kids tomorrow night, right?"

            "Yeah.  Can I call after everyone goes to bed?"

            "You better."  Olivia reached up and slanted her lips over his, smiling slightly when he responded.  This was so new, and yet very familiar.  She'd been kissed before, many times, and had certainly enjoyed it.  But this was the first time that everything had felt so…perfect.  The way his hands were splayed protectively across her back, the feeling of his soft lips on hers, the way his slight five o'clock shadow scraped against her skin.  When he pulled away, Olivia reached up and caught his bottom lip lightly between her teeth. "I'll miss you," she said, her voice rough with desire.

            "You too," he said with a grin as he began kissing along her jawbone.  "You're much more fun to look at than Munch and Fin."

            Olivia let out a delighted laugh.  "I'll be sure to tell them you think so."

            Elliot sighed, his breath warm against her neck.  "I better go if I want to scare the hell out of Maureen's boyfriend."

            "I'll see you Saturday," Olivia responded.  

            "I'll call tomorrow and we can work out the details.  Will you be home?"

            "I'm taking Brian by his school and Maggie by daycare in the morning so they can get a feel for it before Monday.  We'll be home in the afternoon though."

            Elliot shook his head.  "That's too long.  Wanna have lunch?"

            Caution appeared in Olivia's eyes.  "They'll get suspicious at the station if I keep coming in on my days off…"

            "Then we'll meet there.  Panera at 12:30?"

            "Sounds great."

            Elliot bent and kissed her one more time before he opened the door.  Once he was gone, Olivia let out a long sigh.  So much had happened that normally she'd be analyzing and reanalyzing every little part of the evening.  But right then the only thought going through her head was that Elliot Stabler, her partner, her best friend, was one hell of a good kisser.


	6. Chapter 6

Olivia tossed and turned in her sleep, plagued by memories of her kiss with Elliot and unfulfilled desire.  Suddenly she jerked awake and sat up, listening for what had roused her.  She heard a shuffling from down the hall and soft crying.  Worried, Olivia checked to make sure Jacob was still sleeping before she padded down the hall.  The noise seemed to be coming from Maggie's room.  Olivia pushed the cracked door open further and looked in.  Illuminated by the pink Christmas lights, she saw Maggie standing, clutching her doll and bear whimpering softly with tears rolling down her cheeks while Brian tugged at the blankets on the bed.

            "What's going on?" Olivia asked gently, her voice still thick with sleep.

            Maggie let out a frightened yip and ran to the corner of the room, pushing herself as far into it as she could and curling into a protective ball.

            "Maggie had an accident," Brian said nervously.  "I'll clean it up."

            Olivia shook her head.  "You can go back to bed, Bri.  I'll take care of it."

            Brian paused but Olivia nodded pointedly at him.  "I promise, we'll be okay.  Maggie needs to get used to trusting me."  

Brian nodded and reluctantly left the room.  Olivia walked over and crouched down in front of Maggie.  She reached out a hand, but when she touched Maggie's arm, the little girl flinched and drew back further.  Olivia tried to ignore the stab of hurt, knowing that Maggie didn't mean it.  But it was the first time that she'd ever shied away from her.  Olivia sighed, realizing that this must be how Elliot felt, having all of his attempts to gain Maggie's trust ignored.

            "What happened, Maggie Mae?" Olivia whispered gently.

            Maggie whimpered.  "I wet the bed," she whispered softly.

            "Well that happens sometimes," Olivia responded, resisting the urge to reach out again.  "Why don't you come here and we'll get you into some dry clothes?"

            "You'll hurt me," Maggie responded in a barely audible whisper.

            "No baby, I won't ever hurt you," Olivia whispered.

            Maggie raised her face which had been buried in her arms, tears running down her cheeks.  "You're not mad?"

            "Oh no honey, I'm not angry.  It's partly my fault, I forgot to make sure you went to the bathroom before bed.  Lots of kids have accidents.  It's not a big deal, we can wash everything."

            Maggie stood up slowly and wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck tightly.  Olivia picked her up and held her closely, rocking back and forth.  She winced slightly when she realized that Maggie's nightgown was soaked and now they both needed to change their nightclothes.  When Maggie was calmer, Olivia helped her into new pajamas, then stripped Maggie's bed, thankful that she'd put the plastic sheet on it.  Olivia ran the laundry down to the washing machine before she tucked Maggie into her own bed and changed into different pajamas, throwing her own laundry into the wash as well.  She sprayed the plastic sheet with 409 and remade the bed with clean sheets.

            When Olivia was finished she went back to her room and found Maggie sound asleep in the middle of the bed.  Being careful not to wake her, Olivia carried Maggie back to her own room and tucked her in.  

As she kissed Maggie's forehead gently, Maggie mumbled, "Love you, Livvy."

"I love you too, baby."  Olivia tiptoed out of the room and peeked into Brian's room, seeing him sitting on the bed.

"Is Maggie okay?" he asked worriedly.

"She's fine.  We cleaned her up and I changed the sheets.  She's sound asleep, which is exactly where you should be."

"Mom used to get mad when Maggie wet the bed," Brian said softly.  "She said that only babies have accidents."

Olivia sat down on the bed.  "Lots of kids have accidents, especially at night," she explained.  "It's not Maggie's fault."  Brian nodded wisely and Olivia drew him into a hug.  "You're a great big brother, Brian.  But you don't need to be Maggie and Jacob's parent.  That's what I'm here for."

Brian hugged her back tightly.  "I like living with you, Olivia.  Can we stay here for forever?"

"Nothing would make me happier," Olivia answered.

            Brian lay back down and Olivia kissed him goodnight.  "I love you, Brian."

            "I love you too, Olivia."

Olivia tiptoed back to her room, flopped on her bed and, too exhausted to worry about the shift in her relationship with Elliot, fell into a sound sleep.   

The next day Olivia brought all three children with her to Brian's school.  She wanted Brian to have a chance to meet his teacher and Olivia also wanted to talk to her about the situation.  The secretary, a grandmotherly woman named Marie Durning, led Olivia and Brian to the teacher's classroom.  They were meeting during morning recess so they would have about 45 minutes.  Brian held onto Olivia's hand tightly as they walked.

Ms. Durning knocked on the classroom door, then left.  Olivia smiled slightly at the woman who answered.

"Hello, Ms. Benson.  I'm Angela DeFranco, Brian's teacher."

"Nice to meet you," Olivia replied, shaking Angela's hand.

"And you must be Brian," Angela continued.  "We're very excited to have you join our class.  Why don't you come in and have a look around?"

Olivia pushed the double stroller into the room after Brian and sat at a round table while Angela showed Brian around the room while Olivia read a book to Maggie.  After a few minutes, Angela returned to the table after showing Brian his desk and his textbooks, leaving him to organize his desk.

"Mr. Martin, our principal, told me that there are special circumstances surrounding Brian that you would explain to me?"

Olivia nodded and lifted Maggie out of the stroller.  "Why don't you go look at the fishies, honey?"  Maggie hurried off towards the aquarium and Olivia called after her, "Keep your fingers out of the tank!"  She turned her attention back to the teacher.  "Brian is my foster son," she explained.  "He hasn't been in school since before Christmas because his mother forced him to stay home and take care of his brother and sister.  She also abused him.  I'm a detective with the Special Victims Unit.  Here's my card and I want you to call me if anything, anything at all, happens."

Angela nodded.  "Of course.  Brian seems like a sweet boy."

Olivia smiled.  "He is."

As they left at the end of recess, Olivia squeezed Brian's hand gently.  "What do you think of Miss DeFranco?"

"She's nice," Brian said softly.  "She said that if I need help catching up, she'd help me."

"That's good.  Are you excited to start school again?"

Brian shrugged.  "I guess.  Where will Maggie and Jacob be when I'm at school?"

"Maggie and Jacob are going to daycare right down the block.  And you're going there too, before and after school.  We're going there next so you and Maggie can meet your teachers."

Brian looked thoughtful.  "Maggie doesn't like strangers," he said finally.

"That's why we're going over there now, so she can meet her teachers and they won't be strangers on Monday."  Olivia knew that Maggie probably wouldn't be happy about staying at daycare while Olivia went to work but was hoping that meeting the teachers would help, at least a little.

They walked into the daycare and introduced Maggie and Brian to their teachers.  After a tour of the rooms, Brian seemed comfortable but Maggie had insisted on being carried the whole time and only unburied her head from Olivia's neck when they pointed out the pet rabbits.  All of Olivia's attempts to set her on the ground or introduce her to the other kids her age had been ignored, Maggie just shaking her head.

When they left, Olivia loaded them into the car and drove to Panera, 10 blocks away from the station and a restaurant that the other detectives didn't frequent.  Elliot was waiting just inside the door and grinned when they walked in.

"Hey, Bri," he said, ruffling the boy's hair as he made eye contact with Olivia over his head.  "How was school?"

"It was okay," Brian answered.  

"Did you guys hit the daycare, too?"

"Don't wanna go," Maggie whimpered, her face still hidden in Olivia's neck.

"We met the very nice teachers," Olivia said, obviously trying to cheer Maggie up.  "And Maggie's class has bunnies in it."

Elliot stroked a hand over Maggie's back, smiling to himself when she didn't flinch as much.  "That sounds like fun, Maggie.  Why don't you want to go?"

"Livvy's gonna leave."

"But then I'll come pick you up after work and after you've had lots of fun, playing all day with your new friends and we'll go home and make dinner and play and read a story…" Olivia looked slightly desperate.  Elliot could read the worry in her eyes clearly and figured it might be a good idea to take Maggie's mind off of the idea of school and subsequent separation from Olivia, who seemed to be her main security blanket right then.

"What does everyone want for lunch?" Elliot asked.

"Can I have ham?" Brian asked hopefully.

"Of course.  Maggie Mae?  What about you?"

Maggie shrugged into Olivia's shoulder.  "Dunno."

"Do you want some soup?" Olivia asked, bouncing her slightly.

"Okay," Maggie answered.

"Do you want to share with me or get your own?" Olivia had a feeling that Maggie couldn't eat an entire thing of soup herself.

"Share."

"Uh…I guess we'll get the you pick two thing with broccoli cheese soup and a turkey sierra sandwich.  What are you getting?"

Elliot thought for a moment.  "I think I'll just have roast beef."

Olivia glanced at the children.  "Do you want to take Brian to wash his hands and I'll take Maggie and Jacob?  Then we can order."

Elliot took Brian into the men's room while Olivia managed to maneuver the stroller and Maggie into the women's.  When Olivia reemerged, Elliot and Brian were already sitting at a table with drinks in front of them.  When Olivia was situated, Elliot pushed a soda in her direction.  

            "We thought we'd get a head start on ordering."

            "Elliot said I could have root beer!" Brian exclaimed, holding up the IBC bottle.

            Olivia sighed.  "I guess one soda's okay.  What did you get Maggie?"

            "Apple juice.  Do you like apple juice, Maggie Mae?"

            Maggie nodded and held out her hands.  Olivia suddenly looked at Elliot suspiciously.  "Did you pay for lunch?!"

            "They kind of frown on not paying," Elliot teased.

            Olivia rolled her eyes.  "I was going to pay!  You bought dinner last night and lunch yesterday."

            "Trust me, it's not a problem."  Elliot was saved from further argument when he heard their order called and he and Brian went to pick it up.  

When Elliot got back, $30 was sitting on the table in front of his seat.  He shook his head and slid the money back to Olivia as he set the tray down.  Olivia scowled and tried to hand him the money again.

"Take it, El."

Elliot shook his head and handed Olivia her soup.  "No Liv, you're not paying.  I asked you.  Anyway the company more than makes up for it."  He smiled tenderly and Olivia sighed, a small smile appearing on her face as well.  

"Fine, but I'm taking care of lunch tomorrow."

Elliot nodded.  "That's fine."

They began eating, Brian telling Elliot all about his new classroom and teacher.  After about ten minutes, Elliot realized that Maggie was staring longingly at his bag of potato chips.  She'd eaten about half of the soup and half of the turkey off of Olivia's sandwich so Elliot didn't think a little junk food would hurt.

"Do you want some of my chips, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded and Elliot beckoned her over.  Slowly, keeping one eye on Olivia, Maggie walked over to Elliot and climbed into his lap.  She began removing one chip from the bag at a time and eating them slowly.  She kept watching Olivia, making sure to be able to see her, but leaned back against Elliot's chest as she ate.  Unconsciously, Elliot wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her safely.  Olivia had watched Maggie's progress and saw the delighted grin on Elliot's face when she climbed into his lap.  

"She came to me," he mouthed.

Olivia nodded and smiled back, proud that Maggie had done that on her own.  When they'd finally finished eating and Maggie had polished off the rest of Elliot's chips they stood up and began gathering everything so they could leave.  As they started towards the door, Olivia pushing the stroller and Elliot carrying Maggie, Elliot reached down and caught Olivia's hand in his.  She turned and grinned at him.  Elliot stopped at the counter and bought three giant oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  They walked to a bench and Elliot handed a cookie each to Brian and Maggie, then held the third cookie up to Olivia's lips.  She took a bite, blushing slightly as Elliot tucked an arm around her, pulling her close.  

Brian watched two boys, who looked to be in high school, playing some buckets like drums.  Olivia handed him $5 to drop in the money jar and Brian approached them slowly.  He carefully placed the money in the jar and stared at them in rapt fascination.  One of the boys noticed and grinned at Brian, holding out his drumsticks in offering.  Brian sat down nervously and picked up the beat quickly, banging on the cans.  He continued to play, a smile growing on his face until Olivia motioned him back over.  Brian handed the sticks back and thanked the boys before hurrying to Olivia's side.  She pulled him into a hug and Elliot clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good job, Bri," Olivia said with a smile.

"Yeah, really great," Elliot added.

Brian beamed with pleasure and finished eating his cookie.

Maggie began to bounce up and down on Elliot's lap.  "I wanna play too!  Can I, Livvy?  Please?"

Olivia smiled but shook her head.  "No sweetie, you're too little."

"Why?" Maggie whined.

"Because you're too little yet," Olivia repeated.  "But after your nap why don't we find a bucket and you can play with that?"

"I wanna play here," Maggie muttered as she took another bite of the cookie.

Olivia rolled her eyes.  "And on that note we should probably head home.  It's n-a-p time."

They walked back to Olivia's car and she settled the kids into the backseat before turning back to Elliot.  "Thanks for lunch.  I owe you, El."

Elliot grinned.  "How about a date?  Next weekend?"

"Sounds great," Olivia answered with a smile.  "Are you going to tell your kids about them?" she asked, nodding at the car.

"I thought I'd tell them at least the basics.  They don't need to know the details.  Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah.  I'd rather have them understand than be surprised if Brian or Maggie say something."

Elliot nodded and reached out, cupping the back of her head.  "I've been wanting to do this again since last night," he whispered, lowering his mouth to hers.  Her lips parted eagerly, welcoming him into her mouth.  Olivia leaned into him, inviting him to take more as she reveled in the taste and texture of him.  They finally broke apart and Elliot brushed his lips gently over her temple.  "I'll call you when the kids go to bed and we can figure out tomorrow," he said huskily.

Olivia nodded.  "Tell them hi for me."

"I will.  I'll miss you, Liv."

"I'll miss you too," she answered with a smile.

After getting home, Olivia put Maggie down for her nap and fed Jacob, also laying him down.  She then sat at the kitchen table with Brian and started helping him with some worksheets Miss DeFranco had given them to work on to help Brian catch up.

When the phone rang, Olivia stood up to answer it.  "Hello?"

"Yes, I'd like to speak with Ms. Olivia Benson?" the voice responded.

"Speaking."

"Ms. Benson, my name is John O'Connor, I'm the caseworker assigned to Brian, Margaret, and Jacob Allen."

"Yes?"  Olivia tried to ignore the jolt of fear that shot through her heart.

"I'd like to schedule a home visit?"

"Of course."

"Would this afternoon around 3:00 be alright?"

Olivia paused.  "Maggie and Jacob should be up from their naps by then."

"I'll see you then."

John O'Connor hung up and Olivia was left clutching the phone.  She turned to Brian and forced a smile.  "How are you coming with that addition?"

"Okay," he answered, looking up.  "What's wrong?  You look scared."

Olivia sat down next to him with a small smile.  "You're too smart, Bri.  The man on the phone was John O'Connor.  He works for DCFS and he's what's called a caseworker.  He's going to come by later today to see if I'm taking good care of you guys."

Fear flashed in Brian's eyes.  "Is he going to take us away?"

Olivia sighed.  "Not unless he thinks that you're not safe here or that I'm not taking good care of you."

Brian stood up and climbed into Olivia's lap, wrapping his arms around her.  "Don't worry, Olivia," he said softly.  "You're a good mom, you're taking really good care of us.  Maggie and me like it here.  We won't go with him."

Tears filled Olivia's eyes as she hugged him back.  "I love you, Brian.  Let's not worry about it though, okay?  You need to finish your math and I need to make sure that the house is picked up."

Olivia took the cordless phone into the other room and while she double and triple checked that everything was picked up and baby proofed she dialed someone she knew would help.

"Stabler."

"El, it's me," Olivia's voice hitched slightly.

"Liv?  Honey what's wrong?"

"The kids' caseworker just called.  He's coming for a home visit this afternoon."

"You knew that was going to happen, Liv.  You know the system."

"I know, I guess I thought I'd have more time to prepare for it."

"There's nothing really to prepare for," Elliot pointed out.  "The house is baby proofed, the kids are doing great, you'll pass with flying colors."

"What if I don't?" Olivia whispered nervously.  She didn't want Brian to hear how scared she was.  "What if he takes them?"

"If he does, then we'll fight and get them back.  Do you want me to come?" Elliot offered.

"No, no you don't have to," Olivia said.  Part of her wanted him to be with her for this and knew that she needed him.  But she didn't want to make him take off work.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes," Elliot answered.

He stuck his head into Cragen's office.  "Liv's social worker is coming over.  Mind if I head over there for moral support?"

Cragen shook his head.  "Go on, tell her good luck for us."

"Thanks, Cap."  Elliot turned out of the doorway and grabbed his coat.  As he hurried out the door, he almost ran over Munch and Fin who were coming back from talking to anyone who might know where Zapata was.

"Hey, slow down," Munch grumbled.

"Where you off to in such a hurry, man?" Fin asked.

"The caseworker for the kids is coming in a few hours and Liv's nervous.  I'm going over there for moral support."  
            "The knight in shining armor," Munch sneered.

"Yeah, you let Liv catch you saying that and you'll be the one needing armor," Elliot shot back.

"How are the kids doing?" Fin asked.

"Pretty good.  She took them to Brian's school today and the daycare so they could meet the teachers."

Fin nodded.  "Tell her to bring them in again.  They're cute."

Elliot laughed.  "I'll do that.  Did you guys find anything?"

"No, unfortunately," Munch grumbled.  "People in that neighborhood aren't very forthcoming with answers."

Elliot nodded.  "You'll find him, I know it.  But I have to run.  I'll see you guys on Monday!"

He hurried out the door and his fellow detectives watched with speculative looks on their faces.

"You think anything's going on between those two?" Fin asked as he watched Elliot's retreating back.

Munch shrugged.  "It wouldn't surprise me, especially since Elliot's divorced now.  They do seem to be joined at the hip."

"Or something else," Fin snickered.

Munch smacked him on the shoulder.  "You know, it wouldn't kill you to get your mind out of the gutter once in awhile."

"Just because you're too old to get with the ladies doesn't mean we all are," Fin shot back.

"Regardless of whether I can still 'get with the ladies' or not doesn't mean I would broadcast it, or that I want to hear about you doing it," Munch shot back as they entered the squad room.

"What did you learn?" Cragen asked, effectively ending the argument.

Elliot arrived at Olivia's townhouse twenty minutes later.  It shouldn't have taken so long but traffic was bad.  He knocked on the door and it was thrown open a few seconds later by a very worried Brian.

"Hey buddy," Elliot said with a smile, then stopped, slightly surprised when Brian hugged him tightly around the waist.  "What's wrong?"

"Olivia's scared," Brian said softly.

Elliot squatted down to his eyelevel.  "Why do you think she's scared?"

"She's cleaning everything a million times and she's talking to herself and when she hugged me she was shaking and almost crying."

"Do you know why she's scared?"

Brian nodded.  "She said that a man was coming and he might take us away and make us live somewhere else.  She said that we shouldn't worry about it…"

Elliot pulled the boy into his arms.  "And she's right, you shouldn't worry about it.  The caseworker doesn't want to hurt you, he just wants to make sure that you and Maggie and Jacob are safe.  And Olivia and I are going to do everything we can to keep you guys here with us.  Okay?"

Brian nodded.  "I love you, Elliot."

Elliot smiled and fought back tears.  "I love you too, Bri.  Now why don't you help Olivia out by running upstairs and making sure that your room is all picked up?"

"Okay."  Brian raced up the stairs and Elliot followed his instinct and walked upstairs into the bathroom.  He found Olivia on her hands and knees, scrubbing the bathtub.  "Liv?" he asked gently.

Olivia turned and a relieved smile spread over her face.  "Hey," she said softly, standing up.  "Thanks for coming."

Elliot closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head.  He could feel that she was holding on by a very thin thread and shaking.  "He's not going to take them, Liv.  We won't let him.  You're a great mother.  Just relax, Liv."

She took a deep breath, breathing in the smell that was uniquely Elliot and exhaled slowly.  "I'm okay," she said at length.

"Okay.  How can I help?"

Olivia paused.  "I don't know.  I just keep double checking everything a million times."

"Want me to go over it with you?"  Olivia nodded.  "Okay.  Is everything baby proofed?"

"Yeah.  All of the cabinets have locks on them and the drawers too."

"Okay.  Where's your piece?"

Olivia stared at him blankly.  "What?"

"Your service piece?  Where is it?"

"In the lock box on the top shelf of my closet in my room."

"And the key?"

"No key, it's a combination."

"Great.  Are the open sockets all covered?"

"Yep."

"Is everything little put up?"

"I think so.  I figured anything smaller than my fist…"

"Good test.  Where's your razor?"  Olivia stared at him blankly.  "For shaving?"

"Oh.  Uh…here," Olivia held up the razor that had been on the counter.

"Okay, that's going in the drawer."  Elliot pushed down the safety latch and tossed the razor into the drawer.  "All cleaning supplies and medicines out of little hands?"

Olivia nodded.  "I put everything in a cabinet and put one of those door handle protector things on the linen closet."

"Dishes done?"  

"Yep, in the dishwasher."

"Is Maggie's room picked up?"

"Pretty much.  I can't do anything in there until she wakes up from her nap."

"And your room?"

"Clean.  Jacob's a heavy sleeper.  I have to tackle Brian's room," Olivia tried to step around Elliot to the door but he stopped her.

"Brian's taking care of it.  When does Maggie wake up?"

Olivia glanced at her watch.  "Not for about half an hour."

"Okay, let's go downstairs and have something to drink and calm down."

"Elliot, I can't drink before the caseworker comes over!" Olivia exclaimed, shocked.

Elliot laughed.  "I didn't mean alcohol.  I meant water.  Just something to calm you down a little.  The kids are going to know that you're stressed and it'll stress them out."

Olivia nodded.  "You're right.  Okay, let me put this stuff away and we'll go."

They headed downstairs and Elliot got both of them glasses of water.  Upstairs, Brian was picking up his new dinosaurs when he heard Maggie stirring in her room.  Wanting to talk to her before Olivia got her, Brian hurried into her room.

"Maggie?  Are you awake?"  

Maggie nodded.  "Where's Livvy?"

"With Elliot.  Maggie, a man's going to come and if he doesn't think that Olivia's a good mom, he's going to take us away and make us live somewhere else, so you have to be really really good."

Maggie's eyes grew wide with fear.  "No Livvy?"

Brian shook his head.  "No Livvy.  And no Elliot and no Jacob and no me."

Tears filled Maggie's eyes as she grabbed her Cinderella doll and climbed out of bed, racing down the stairs.  "Livvy!  Livvy!" she wailed.  

Elliot ran to the stairs, worried.  "Maggie, what's wrong honey?"

Maggie threw herself into Elliot's arms.  "I don't wanna leave!  I don't wanna leave Livvy!" she wailed, tears pouring down her face as she clung to his neck.

Elliot held her close, rocking slightly.  "Sh baby it's okay.  Sh…you'll only have to leave if the caseworker doesn't think that Olivia is a good mommy."

"Livvy's a good mommy," Maggie hiccupped, still crying.  "I don't wanna leave!"

"I know she's a good mommy," Elliot said, hoping to calm Maggie down.  "And the caseworker will see that too."

Olivia raced out of the bathroom, alerted by Maggie's cries.  "What's wrong?!  Maggie?  Are you hurt, baby?"

Maggie all but dove out of Elliot's arms and into Olivia's.  "I don't wanna leave you!"

Confusion etched itself on Olivia's face as she turned to Elliot who shrugged.  "Sweetie, who told you that you were leaving?"

"Brian," Maggie whispered, clinging desperately to Olivia's neck.

Olivia scowled slightly.  "Brian!" she called up the stairs.  Brian appeared at the top, looking nervous.  "Come on down here, we need to talk," she said firmly.

Brian walked down the stairs slowly, looking very nervous.  Once he reached the bottom, Olivia looked at him hard.

"Did you tell Maggie that the caseworker was going to make you live somewhere else?"

Brian paused.  "I said that he MIGHT make us live somewhere else…"

"Brian, Maggie's only three.  She doesn't understand things like 'might.'"

"But she needed to know so she'd be really good!  I don't want to leave!"

"Okay, first, this was for me to explain to Maggie, not you.  Second, making Maggie afraid of the caseworker will only make it harder on everyone.  And third, I know that you will both be wonderful because you're great kids."

"Are you mad at me?" Brian asked softly, tears filling his eyes.

Olivia handed Maggie back to Elliot and squatted down so she was looking Brian in the eye.  "A little.  I'm more disappointed that you would say something to scare your sister like that.  But I understand why you did it and I still love you."

Brian threw his arms around Olivia's neck.  "I love you, too.  Am I gonna be punished?"

Olivia shook her head.  "No.  But I want you to promise me that you won't say things that will scare your sister again, okay?"

Brian nodded.  "Okay."

"Good boy.  Now run up and finish cleaning your room, okay?  Then you can have a snack."

"Okay!"  Brian raced up the stairs and Olivia stood back up, stroking Maggie's back gently.

"You okay, Maggie Mae?"

Maggie nodded.  "Uh-huh.  I can stay here?"

Olivia sighed, not wanting to make a promise that she couldn't keep.  "I will do everything I can to make sure that you can stay with me."

"Forever?"

"Forever," Olivia answered.

Maggie nodded.  "Can I have a snack?"

"Sure.  How does a banana sound?"

"Okay."  Before Olivia could turn towards the kitchen, she heard Jacob crying upstairs.  "Honey, Jacob's awake.  Can Elliot get you your banana?"

Maggie seemed to think about it for a second before nodding.  "Okay."

Elliot carried Maggie into the kitchen while Olivia hurried upstairs to the crying baby.  She picked Jacob up and rested him against her shoulder, bouncing slightly.  "Hey big boy," she cooed.  "How was your nap?  Are you all ready to meet your caseworker?"

As Jacob stopped crying, she laid him on the changing pad and quickly changed his diaper.  Before she resnapped his onesie, Olivia bent and blew a gentle raspberry on his stomach.  Jacob kicked his legs and squealed so Olivia did it one more time.  When she picked him up, she nuzzled his neck gently.  She checked on Brian and saw that his room was picked up and he was working on his math problems at the desk.

As Olivia walked down the stairs, she heard Maggie's squealing giggle coming from the kitchen.  She walked in just in time to see Elliot toss Maggie slightly up in the air, catch her, and tip her upside down.  Maggie squealed again, laughing hysterically.

"Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed.  "What are you doing?!"

Elliot and Maggie both turned to her, smiling, and Olivia was struck by how natural it felt for them to be there, together.  "Don't worry, Liv, I was being careful," Elliot assured her.  "And Maggie likes it, don't you sweetie?"

Maggie giggled and nodded.  "You do it too, Livvy!  Make Elliot throw you!"

Olivia had to laugh.  "I'm too big for Elliot to throw, Maggie."

"Oh, I bet I could manage," Elliot said with a slow grin.

Olivia felt her insides melt as she walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle for Jacob.  "Have you had your snack yet, Maggie?"

Maggie shook her head and Elliot looked at her sheepishly.  "We got kind of distracted."

Olivia rolled her eyes but smiled as she grabbed a banana and tossed it to Elliot who caught it with one hand.  Brian came down a few minutes later.

"I'm all done with the math worksheets.  Can one of you check them over after the caseworker comes?"

"Sure," Olivia said with a smile.

They finished their snacks and Olivia cleaned up the kitchen.  Then she turned and surveyed the children.  Brian was still clean but Maggie's clothes were all wrinkled from her nap and there was a spot of soup from lunch on her shirt.  Jacob was still only wearing his diaper and an onesie.  

"El, can you get Jacob into some clothes?  I'm going to take Maggie to get changed.  And please, no tossing the baby."

Elliot laughed.  "I know better than to toss Jacob."  Elliot took the baby from Olivia and they headed upstairs.  In Olivia's room, Elliot found Jacob's drawer after only opening three that belonged to Olivia.  He pulled out a little pair of navy blue overalls that had teddy bears embroidered on them and shuddered slightly.  He also found a little red turtleneck that matched and a pair of impossibly tiny socks.

            As he dressed Jacob, Elliot grinned down at him.  "Jacob, we've got to get you some cooler clothes, man."  Jacob just gurgled and kicked his legs, which Elliot took to be agreement.  "How about something with the Yankees on it?  Or maybe the Nets?"  When Jacob was dressed, Elliot noticed the smallest pair of gym shoes he'd ever seen.  "Do you think Olivia expects you to wear these?" he asked the baby.  Jacob waved his arms around and Elliot sighed.  "That's what I figured."  He managed to get both shoes on the baby's feet but when he tried to tie them, he ran into problems.  He couldn't get them tied!

            "Liv!" he called.  "I'm having a problem here!"

            Olivia entered, followed by Maggie who was wearing pair of purple jeans and a pink and purple top with pink sneakers and her hair tied in pigtails with purple ribbons.  "Yes?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows.

            "I can't get his shoes tied," Elliot said, clearly frustrated.  

            Olivia laughed as she bent over the baby and, making funny faces at him, tied the shoes quickly.  "Your fingers are too big," she explained.  

            "Not for some things," Elliot whispered suggestively in her ear.  

            Olivia felt her face burn and her stomach clench with desire as she turned her head an inch and kissed him briefly.  "Later," she whispered.

            Elliot nodded as she picked the baby up off the table, telling him how adorable he looked.  Elliot rolled his eyes and felt an impatient tugging on his hand.  He looked down to see Maggie staring at him with the same expression Olivia used when he'd forgotten something she wanted.  It made him wonder just how much of a child's personality was genetic and how much was environment.

            "Yes, honey?"

            "Uppie, please," she said simply, lifting her arms.

            Elliot grinned and hoisted Maggie up onto his shoulders.  She squealed in delight and held on tightly to what she could of his hair.  He carried downstairs and gently flipped her onto the couch.  Elliot could tell that Olivia was starting to get nervous about the visit again.  She paced back and forth in front of the couch, talking to Jacob and biting on her lower lip.

            "Brian, why don't you go get your Harry Potter book and we'll read until the social worker comes?" Elliot suggested.  He sat on the couch and caught Olivia's hand, pulling her gently down next to him.  "Relax," he whispered in her ear.

            "My stomach's in knots," she whispered back.

            "I know," Elliot rubbed her arm gently.  "Mine too."

            Brian came racing back down the stairs, holding his book.  He handed it to Elliot, who opened it to the page that Olivia had dog-eared the night before.  As he read, he slipped his free arm around Olivia's back.  Maggie crawled up into his lap so she could see the pictures at the beginning of the chapters and Brian snuggled under his other arm.  

            Olivia smiled as she listened to Elliot read and felt the ball of tension in her stomach dissolve slightly.  As Elliot read about the Dursley's house being flooded with letters addressed to Harry, the doorbell rang.  Olivia tensed as Elliot closed the book and set it on the end table.  

            Olivia stood and smiled at Brian and Maggie, both of whom were staring at her with wide, frightened eyes.  "It's going to be okay.  Just tell him the truth, okay?"

            Brian nodded and Maggie reached up for Olivia.  Olivia handed Jacob down to Elliot and picked Maggie up in her arms.  When she reached the door, Olivia took a deep breath and answered it.

            The caseworker smiled slightly but there was no warmth in it.  "Hello Ms. Benson.  I'm John O'Connor with Children and Family Services."

            Maggie buried her head in Olivia's shoulder with a whimper and Olivia stroked her back gently.  "Mr. O'Connor, I'm Olivia Benson.  This is Maggie Allen."

            "Hello, Margaret," Mr. O'Connor answered.  "May I come in?"

            Olivia stepped to the side, allowing the caseworker to follow her in.  As he surveyed the house, Mr. O'Connor made notes in a notebook.  Olivia would have dearly loved to get her hands on it, but knew that was impossible.  "Brian and Jacob are in the living room," Olivia said instead, trying to keep from being sick from nerves.  

            Mr. O'Connor walked into the living room and glanced around before his gaze landed on Brian who was still sitting with Elliot and Jacob.  "Hello, Brian.  I'm Mr. O'Connor."

            Brian stood up and thrust his chin out.  "I don't wanna leave Olivia and Elliot and you can't make me!"

            "Brian," Olivia chided slightly.  "That's not polite."

            "I won't leave," he stated sulkily.

            Mr. O'Connor decided to ignore the outburst and turned to Elliot.  "And you are?" he asked, voice dripping with disdain. 

            Elliot stood and held out his hand.  "Detective Elliot Stabler, Manhattan SVU."

            Mr. O'Connor shook it with a curious look.  "Do you live with Ms. Benson?"

            Elliot shook his head, hating the man instantly.  "No.  I'm _Detective_ Benson's partner."

            "And you're here because…?"

            "I'm here because I've been around all three of the children.  Since they were placed in Detective Benson's care, I've seen them everyday."

            Mr. O'Connor nodded, then turned to Brian.  "Brian, would you like to show me where you sleep?"

            "No," Brian answered crossly, glaring at Mr. O'Connor.

            "Bri," Olivia said with a warning note in her voice.

            "Fine.  It's upstairs."  Brian trudged up the stairs with Mr. O'Connor in his wake.

            When they were gone, Elliot looked at Olivia.  She was fuming.  "Who does he think he is, coming in here and patronizing me?" she hissed.

            Elliot walked over and rubbed her back gently.  "He thinks that he's a pompous ass who's doing his job."

            "I don't like him," Maggie said softly, still clinging to Olivia.  

            "I know, baby," Olivia answered.  "But you have to be nice to him, okay?"

            "Okay," Maggie grumbled.

            Upstairs, Brian let Mr. O'Connor into his room.  The caseworker looked around carefully.  "What was it like living with your mom, Brian?"

            "My mom's dead," Brian answered crossly.  He hated that this man was trying to take them away.  "Olivia's my new mom."

            "Ms. Benson is your foster mom.  I know that your real mom died.  But what was it like when she was alive?"

            "I couldn't go to school because I had to take care of Maggie and Jacob.  My real mom used to hit us a lot.  Sometimes with her cigarettes."

            "Mm-hm," Mr. O'Connor made another note in his book.  "Does Ms. Benson smoke?"

            Brian shook his head.  "No.  I've never seen her and she's with us all the time."

            "Is Mr. Stabler here a lot?"

            "Elliot?  Yeah, he comes by after work and we meet him for lunch."

            "Why do you think you spend so much time with him?"

            Brian shrugged.  "He's nice.  He's Olivia's best friend."

            "Is he her boyfriend?"

            Brian shook his head.  "No.  Olivia said that he's not."

            "What's it like living with Ms. Benson?"

            "I like it.  She's really nice and she said that I don't have to take care of Maggie and Jacob anymore because that's her job.  She said that I should just worry about being their brother.  Before, I didn't have my own room or anything.  And Mom used to leave us alone a lot when she worked.  Mom used to get really angry about things like Maggie wetting the bed, but Olivia said that it was normal and she doesn't get mad."

            "Mm-hm.  Are these your toys you brought from home?"

            Brian shook his head.  "Olivia bought them for me because she said that we should have things to play with.  She bought us new clothes too and she let me pick what I wanted in my room."

            "How do you think your brother and sister like living here?"

            "Maggie loves it, too.  She's not even afraid of Elliot anymore."

            "She was afraid of Mr. Stabler?" Mr. O'Connor asked suspiciously.

            "She's afraid of all men.  My mom used to make her do to bad things to men.  But Maggie likes Elliot.  She lets him hold her and stuff.  Jacob doesn't cry as much now.  And Olivia doesn't get mad when he does.  She tells us all the time that she loves us."

            "Do you think Ms. Benson would ever hit you like your mom did?"

            Brian shook his head violently.  "Never.  Olivia promised that she'd never hurt us."

            "And you believe her?"

            Brian glared up at Mr. O'Connor, hating him with a passion.  "Yes."

            "Well you have a very nice room here.  Why don't we go downstairs and see your sister?"

            "She won't like you," Brian answered protectively.  

            "Sure she will," Mr. O'Connor answered.

            Brian rolled his eyes and followed Mr. O'Connor down the stairs.  Once they were back in the living room, Mr. O'Connor smiled at Maggie.

            "Margaret, would you like to show me your room?"

            "Her name is Maggie," Olivia snapped protectively.  She couldn't stand staying quiet and letting him walk all over them.

            Mr. O'Connor rolled his eyes.  "Margaret is her given name."

            "But she goes by Maggie."  Seeing that the caseworker didn't look convinced, Olivia turned to the little girl in her arms.  "Which do you like, honey?  Maggie or Margaret?"

            "Maggie," she whispered into Olivia's neck.

            "Fine then, _Maggie_, can you show me your room?"

            Maggie kept her grip on Olivia's neck.  "Livvy too."

            "No Maggie, Ms. Benson has to stay here."

            "Livvy too," Maggie repeated stubbornly.  "I want Livvy to come."

            "Sweetie, I have to stay here.  But I promise I'll be waiting for you when you get back," Olivia said, hating that she was being forced to do this.

            "Can Elliot come?" Maggie asked softly, obviously scared.  Olivia was still holding Maggie protectively, not wanting to relinquish her to a strange man and Elliot was doing his best not to glare daggers at him.  

            Mr. O'Connor sighed but remembering what Brian had said nodded.  "I suppose Mr. Stabler can come too."

            Maggie let Olivia pass her to Elliot and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tightly.  Elliot shifted Jacob into Olivia's arms and led Mr. O'Connor up the stairs.  Once they were in Maggie's room, Elliot tried to set Maggie on the ground but she refused to let go.

            "Maggie, what was it like living with your mom?" Mr. O'Connor asked.

            "She was mean," Maggie said softly, her face still hidden in Elliot's neck.  "She hit."

            "What's it like living with Ms. Benson?"

            "Who's Ms. Benson?" Maggie whispered to Elliot.

            "Livvy," Elliot whispered back.

            "I like Livvy.  She's nice."

            "How is she nice?"

            "She gives hugs and reads to me and play with me.  Livvy teached me to use a phone."

            "Does Ms. Benson hit?"

            "Her name is Livvy," Maggie picked up her face and glared daggers at Mr. O'Connor.  Elliot had to hold back a laugh, knowing that Olivia was making the exact face downstairs.

            Mr. O'Connor rolled his eyes.  "Does Livvy hit?"

            "No," Maggie answered firmly.  

            "Does she get upset when you wet the bed?"

            "No.  She hugged me and said it was okay."

            "What kinds of things does Ms…er…Livvy do with you?"

            "She tooked us to the toy store and to McDonalds.  And she letted me make pancakes."

            "By yourself?!"

            Maggie gave Mr. O'Connor the same 'you are such an idiot' look that Olivia had.  "She helped."

            Mr. O'Connor reached over to the bed and picked up the Cinderella doll, hoping to that Maggie might open up more.  He felt like he was being interrogated by a toddler and didn't like it.  Maggie immediately squirmed out of Elliot's arms and marched over to Mr. O'Connor, grabbing the doll from him.

            "That's my Livvy doll.  You can't play with her."

            "Why is she called your Livvy doll?"

            "Because that's her name," Maggie answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  She stalked back to Elliot and he lifted her into his arms with a proud smile on his face.

            "Maggie, do you like living here with Livvy?"

            "Yes.  I want to stay here."

            "Do you like Mr. Stabler?"

            "Who?" Maggie whispered again to Elliot.

            "He means me, honey," Elliot whispered back.

            "Yes," Maggie answered.  "He throws me."

            "He _throws_ you?" Mr. O'Connor asked incredulously.

            Elliot rolled his eyes.  "Like this."  He tossed Maggie slightly in the air and caught her, tipping her upside down.  Maggie giggled as Elliot righted her.

            "Does Mr. Stabler make you do things you don't want to do?" Mr. O'Connor asked.

            Maggie shook her head.  "Can we go find Livvy now?"

            Mr. O'Connor sighed, but nodded.  "Alright."  He'd checked both children's rooms for safety errors and hadn't found any.

            When they got back downstairs, Jacob was swinging contentedly and Maggie reached her arms out to Olivia, who took her and hugged her gently.  "See?  I'm right here," she soothed.

            "Ms. Benson, can we talk somewhere in private?" Mr. O'Connor asked.

            "Of course.  El?  Can you take the kids upstairs?"

            "Sure.  Come here, Mags.  Let's go play with your dollhouse."  Elliot took Maggie back and Brian followed them up the stairs.  

Olivia gathered Jacob to her and turned to Mr. O'Connor.  "Would you like something to drink?"  She was determined to be polite if it killed her.

"Water would be nice."  He followed Olivia into the kitchen and sat at the table.  "I see you're a detective with the Manhattan SVU also."

"Yes."

"How long have you worked there?"

"Seven years."

"Mm-hm.  Your job requires you to work fairly irregular hours, doesn't it?"

"Sometimes," Olivia ground out, hating having her life under a microscope.

"And what do you plan on doing with the children when that occurs?"

"During the day, Brian's at school and he, Maggie, and Jacob will go to daycare afterwards."

"What if you get a call in the middle of the night?"

"If and when that happens, I have a babysitter lined up."

"And how well do you know this person?"

"I've known her for seven years."

"You trust her with the children?"

"I wouldn't leave them with her if I didn't," Olivia snapped, irritated.  

"Right.  Where's your gun, Ms. Benson?"

"My service piece is locked in a lock box in my bedroom on the top shelf of my closet with the safety on.  And I explained to Brian and Maggie that they are never, under any circumstances, to touch it."

"I see in my notes that your mother was an alcoholic?"

"Look, I don't know what that has to do with what kind of mother I am to these children," Olivia said harshly.  "I've never had a drink around them and, as my mother died several years ago, she's not a threat.  But she never hurt me and would have never hurt them, even if she was alive."

"Both children seem to have developed quite an attachment to Mr. Stabler."

"Elliot's been a great help.  He's given them a positive male role model and because of him, Maggie's not as afraid of men as she was."

"She seemed pretty uncomfortable around me.  Maybe that's because you scared them into thinking that if they didn't give the right answers, they'd be taken away?"

"I explained what the purpose of your visit was, to determine if this was a suitable environment for them.  And all I asked was that they be honest with you.  Right now, I'm the only stable home that they've ever experienced.  I love these kids and they love me.  Of course they're not going to be happy with the idea that they could be taken away.  I'm sorry if you have some problem with me but I think that I've done a damn good job with them so far.  Yes, I work.  So do many other mothers.  I also am determined to give them a warm loving home and I'm sorry if you have a problem with that."

Mr. O'Connor raised his eyebrows.  "You seem to have a bit of a temper, Ms. Benson."

"Maybe that's because you came in here and immediately looked down on us.  I don't know what problem you have with me but I've dealt with many caseworkers and I've never seen one so stuck on themselves as you are.  Not only am I going to go down to speak with your superior on Monday, but also I am going to request a new caseworker.  I believe that in order for children to make a smooth transition from one home to another, the caseworker and foster parent must work together.  And most importantly, the children need to be able to like their caseworker.  So far, neither Brian nor Maggie likes you.  And neither do I."

"If that's what you feel you must do," Mr. O'Connor answered stiffly.  "But as far as this visit goes, I have found no physical reason to remove the children from your home.  They seem happy and I've seen no signs that they are being abused."

"Because they're not," Olivia wondered if beating her head against the table in frustration would be a bad idea, then decided it probably was.

"You'll receive your first check in about a week."

"Wait, my what?" Olivia stared at him, slightly confused.

"You'll get $6000 a month, $2000 per child," Mr. O'Connor finished.

"Thank you," Olivia bit out.  "Would you like to say good-bye to Maggie and Brian before you leave?"

"No, that'll be alright."  Mr. O'Connor started towards the front door and Olivia followed, carrying Jacob in the infant seat.  She shut the door behind Mr. O'Connor and leaned against it as relief washed over her and a grin spread over her face.  "Looks like you're staying here, baby," she whispered softly.  

Olivia hurried up the stairs and stood in the doorway of Maggie's room, beaming.  She set Jacob down against the wall and watched the scene before her.  Maggie and Elliot were playing with Maggie's dollhouse and Brian made one of his dinosaurs stomp into the house, knocking over a toy couch.

"Brian!" Maggie exclaimed indignantly.  

"It's their pet Tyrannosaurus Rex," Brian argued.

Deciding to defuse the argument before it went any further, Olivia cleared her throat.  Everyone looked up at her at the same time.

"Is he gone?" Brian asked hopefully.

Olivia nodded.  "He said that everything looks fine and that you get to stay here."

"Yay!" Brian and Maggie abandoned their toys to run over and hug Olivia, who squatted down and gathered them close.

"Can we stay with you forever?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"Forever," Olivia replied.  

She stood up and beamed at Elliot, pure joy written on her face.  Elliot froze, taken aback by Olivia's sheer beauty.  Her eyes were sparkling and a huge smile lit up her face.  Elliot walked forward slowly, wrapping his arms around Olivia's waist.

"We get to keep them," he said softly.

Olivia nodded.  "We get to keep them," she repeated.

Elliot bent down and met her lips with his.  The kiss was slow and gentle, a celebration and promise both.  They broke apart and Elliot drew her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.  They stayed like that for a minute before Olivia pulled away slightly.  Maggie pulled on her arm and Olivia lifted her up, holding her on one hip.

"My Livvy," Maggie said protectively, wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck.

"That's right," Olivia said with a smile.  "Yours and Brian's and Jacob's."

"And mine," Elliot whispered with a smile.

"Of course," Olivia answered, kissing him gently.  She straightened and smirked slightly.  "Elliot, what time is it?"

Elliot glanced at his watch.  "Uh…5:00."

Olivia nodded.  "And who are you picking up at 5:30?"

Elliot's eyes grew big.  "Thanks, Liv!  I'll call you tonight!"  He kissed her briefly, said good-bye to the kids, and hurried out the door.  Olivia watched him go, shaking her head and laughing.

As he drove from Manhattan to Queens, Elliot chastised himself for almost forgetting to pick up Kathleen, Dickie, and Lizzie.  But the visit with the caseworker had somehow muddled his sense of time.  He pulled into the driveway and walked up to the door.  Before he could knock, the door was flung open and Lizzie jumped into his arms.

"Hi Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"Hi sweetheart," Elliot replied, hugging her.  "Are you all ready to go?"

"Yeah!  Dickie and Katie are taking FOREVER though!"

Elliot laughed.  "Why don't you run upstairs and see if you can hurry them along?"

"Okay!"  Lizzie raced up the stairs two at a time.

"She's really excited," Kathy said, coming into the entryway.

"I'm glad," Elliot responded.  

They paused awkwardly for a few minutes before Kathy said, "Tell Olivia thank you for the thank you note she sent.  It was really nice of her."

"I will," Elliot responded.

"How are the kids doing?"

Elliot smiled.  "They're doing well.  Liv's got them all registered for school and daycare.  Actually, we were thinking that the kids might like to get together this weekend."

Kathy raised an eyebrow.  "Why?"

"We thought they'd get along and have fun.  Brian hasn't been around kids his age much."

Kathy nodded.  "That could be fun.  It might actually be good.  Kathleen has a photo project due next week.  She's supposed to take candid pictures."

Elliot nodded.  "That sounds like a fun project.  Anything else coming up that I need to know about?"

Kathy pursed her lips.  "I don't think so.  Lizzie has a history project due in two weeks, but that's it.  Dickie got 97% on his math test this week."

"That's great," Elliot said with a smile.  

Dickie and Lizzie raced down the stairs and Dickie hugged his father.  "Katie's coming.  She's being really slow."

Elliot laughed and crouched to whisper in his son's ear.  "Get used to it.  Women are always slow."

Dickie laughed and Kathy raised an eyebrow.  "What did you just tell him?"

"Nothing," Elliot said innocently.  "Just man talk."

Kathleen came down the stairs dressed all in black with black lipstick and dark black eyeliner.  Elliot did his best not to roll his eyes at his daughter's clothing choice.  

"Hey honey," Elliot said, forcing a smile as he hugged her.

"Hi Elliot," Kathleen responded.  

Elliot leaned back and raised his eyebrows at Kathy.  "Elliot?" he questioned his daughter.  "What happened to Dad?"

"Fine, _Dad_."

The kids began to load their things into the car and Elliot looked at his ex-wife.  "What's going on?"

Kathy shrugged.  "I think it's a phase.  She tried to call me Kathy the other day."

"You didn't let her get away with it?"

"Of course not.  I think something's bothering her.  Wanna see what it could be, Mr. Detective?"

"Sure.  Anything else I should know about?"

Kathy shook her head.  "What time will you bring them back on Sunday?"

"I wanted to have them for dinner, so is 8:00 okay with you?"

"As long as they get their homework done, that's fine.  Have fun."

Elliot climbed into the driver's seat.  "I thought we could eat at home tonight.  You guys feel like burgers?"

"Yeah!" Dickie exclaimed.

"That's cool," Lizzie agreed.

"Katie?"

"Sure," Kathleen answered.

As they sat around finishing up dinner that night, eating cookies that Elliot had bought at the grocery store (he tried to make them…they burned…badly), he decided it was time to tell his kids about Olivia and her kids.  "So, who's weekend is it?" he asked with a smile.

"Mine!" Lizzie exclaimed.  "And I know what I want to do!"  After the first few weekends of Lizzie, Dickie, and Kathleen arguing about what they wanted to do, Elliot came up with the plan that on Saturdays, he chooses the activity and the kids alternate Sundays.  The last time he had them, Dickie had wanted to go to a Knicks game.

"What's that?" Elliot asked, praying it wasn't a teenybopper concert of some kind.

"Can we go roller skating?  My friend Josie's mom owns the rink and on Sunday they're having 80's day!  It'll be so fun!  The music from the 80's is so bad!"

Elliot laughed.  "Sure.  But I think I'll just watch."

"Aw Daddy, why?" Lizzie asked, clearly disappointed.

"Sorry sweetie.  Your old man isn't very good on skates."

"So we're skating on Sunday," Kathleen said.  "What are we doing tomorrow?"

Elliot smiled nervously.  "Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about that.  Earlier this week, Olivia was running through the park and she found three kids who were abandoned."

"Oh my God, that's awful," Kathleen said, horror on her face.

Elliot nodded.  "We found their mother's body a two days later in a dumpster.  Olivia applied to be their foster mother."

"What does that have to do with what we do tomorrow?" Dickie asked, not unkindly.

"Well, I was thinking that we could have a picnic in the Park with them."

Lizzie looked thoughtful.  "How old are they?" she asked.

"Brian's the oldest, he's 8.  Then there's Maggie who's 3, and Jacob is two months."

"Their mother abandoned them and they were that young?" Kathleen looked shocked.

Dickie's brow furrowed and in that moment, he looked exactly like Elliot.  "Why would she do that?"

"We don't know, Dickie.  But Brian's a great kid and a lot of fun.  I thought you guys might be friends.  He likes soccer and Harry Potter."

Dickie nodded.  "Okay, I guess that's cool."

"Lizzie?"

Lizzie nodded.  "Sounds good."

"What about you Katie?"

Kathleen shrugged.  "Okay.  The kids will probably give me good subjects for my photo project.  I tried taking pictures of Lizzie and Dickie, but they're too boring," she teased.

"No we're not!" Dickie exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're just not good enough to catch us doing anything fun!"

"Okay, that's enough," Elliot intervened.  "I was thinking that we could meet Olivia and the kids there about 11:00.  Play around a little, have some lunch.  Just relax.  But since we have such a busy weekend, why don't you guys get started on your homework now?"

"Aw, Dad," Dickie whined.  "It's Friday!"

"I know.  But I promised your mom that you'd do it before you went back there."

After tucking Dickie and Lizzie into bed that night, with most of their homework done, Elliot sat on the couch next to Kathleen.  She turned away from the television where she was watching a documentary on Nazi children and looked at her father.

"What's the real story about Olivia's kids?"

Elliot blinked in surprise.  "What do you mean?"

"Dad, I'm not stupid.  There's something that you're not telling Dickie and Lizzie.  I figure that you're not telling them because they're too young.  But I'm not."

Elliot sighed and slipped an arm around his daughter's shoulder.  "Brian and Maggie and Jacob's mother was a prostitute.  She abused them pretty badly.  Brian's had to take care of the other two since they were born."

"How can people do that to their own children?" Kathleen asked softly.

"I don't know, KatieBug."  Elliot kissed the top of her head.  "Your mom lent Olivia some of your old baby things, the portacrib and stuff."

"What's going to happen to them now?" 

"Well, the caseworker came to visit today and the kids are going to stay with Olivia.  She's filing for long-term foster care right now."  Elliot paused.  "What's going on with you?"

Kathleen looked at him, confused.  "What do you mean?"

"Calling me Elliot, calling Mom Kathy…"

Kathleen shrugged.  "Nothing.  Just thought I'd try it."

"You know if you want to talk about anything, I'm here."

"I know, Daddy."  Kathleen leaned up and kissed his cheek.  "You seem to know Olivia's kids really well.  Do you see them a lot?"

Elliot shrugged.  "I've been helping Olivia out a little.  Brian's never had a father so I'm trying to be there for him."

"Are you dating Olivia?"

Elliot almost choked.  "Why would you ask that?"

"I've seen the way you look at her Dad.  Especially since you and Mom split up.  And it sounds like you've been spending a lot of time with her."

Elliot shook his head.  "We're best friends, Katie.  You spent a lot of time with Jenna."

"Not anymore," Kathleen responded, bitterness coloring her tone.

"What happened?"

"She decided that being 'popular' means that she's too cool to hang out with me.  But I don't care, she was a bitch."

"Katie," Elliot said softly.  "What happened?"

Kathleen shrugged and buried her face in Elliot's shirt.  "It's my fault," she mumbled.  "I was stupid."

"Now you listen to me, Kathleen Ann Stabler.  You've never done a stupid thing in your life."

"There was this guy.  Seth Anderson.  He's in my Chem. class, he's a junior, plays soccer…we got along really well.  So I asked him to Turnabout.  He said yes.  But Jenna got mad because she liked him.  She started spreading these rumors that I'm a lesbian and that I don't shave…stupid stuff.  I hate her.  Seth said he didn't want to go to the dance with me and now everyone hates me.  Jenna said that he was only going because he felt sorry for me because I'm ugly and not cool…"

"Oh, baby," Elliot pulled her closer and rocked her back and forth like when she was little.  "That was awful of Jenna to do.  You're not ugly.  I promise you.  You are absolutely beautiful."

Kathleen sniffed.  "You have to say that, you're my dad," she whispered.

"I might be your dad, but I've never lied to you and I'm not lying now.  Jenna's probably jealous because you have so much going for you.  You're smart, you're beautiful, you made varsity soccer your freshman year…didn't you say she was still playing on the JV team?"  Kathleen nodded into his chest and Elliot began to rub her back.  "You take great pictures…Kathleen, everyday I'm amazed by how talented you are.  And if Jenna's too narrow-minded to see those things, then I feel sorry for her." 

Kathleen sniffed again.  "I love you, Daddy."

Elliot kissed the top of her head.  "I love you too, KatieBug."  Elliot yawned.  "I'm exhausted.  Are you coming to bed soon?"

Kathleen shook her head.  "I thought I'd wait for Maureen.  What time did you say she'd be back from her party?"

"Curfew is 1:30, so hopefully by then."

Kathleen laughed at that.  "She's in college and still has a curfew?"

"Hey, I know what goes on in this city.  I just want to keep you all safe."

"I know.  Night, Daddy."

"Night, baby."  Elliot walked into his room and grabbed his cell phone, hitting number 2 on speed dial.  It rang twice before Olivia picked up.

"Hey," she said warmly.

"Hey yourself," he replied.  "How're you doing?"

"We're good here.  We played for a little while, I checked Brian's homework, we had dinner, then I took them to the playground down the street."

"Are they asleep?"

"Yeah.  Well, I'm holding Jacob but he's out like a light.  I think the day was pretty busy for them."

"Not just them," Elliot pointed out with a smile.

"True.  How are the kids?"

"They're good."  
            "Katie still going through her Goth phase?"

Elliot rolled his eyes.  "Yeah.  It sounds like she's been having a hard time with some of her friends."

"High school sucks," Olivia agreed.  "Did you guys come up with a plan for tomorrow?"

"I thought we could do a picnic in the park.  This warm streak isn't supposed to last much longer and I thought it would be a fun, casual thing."

"Picnicking sounds good.  What time?"

"Is 11:00 okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's perfect.  I'll pick up lunch on the way.  Where do you want to go?"

Elliot explained the area by a playground that would work.  "Kathleen asked me if we were dating today."

Olivia laughed.  "What is it with our kids?  What did you tell her?"

"Well you didn't want to tell the kids so I told her that you're my best friend."

"Did that satisfy her?"

"I think so.  But be prepared tomorrow, in case she asks you."

"Will do."  Olivia smiled gently.  "I miss you."

"I miss you too," Elliot responded warmly.  He heard Olivia stifle a yawn and grinned.  "You better get some sleep, Liv.  I'll see you tomorrow at 11:00."

"Okay.  Sleep tight, El."

"You too honey."  As Elliot hung up the phone, he smiled at the ceiling, thinking just how lucky he really was.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Elliot stood at the front door of his apartment, looking at his watch for the third time in five minutes. "Come on you guys, let's go!"

Dickie raced into the living room. "Dad, I can't find my soccer ball!"

"That's because it's already in the car."

"Oh," Dicke responded.

"I'm ready!" Lizzie exclaimed, joining her father and brother.

"Okay, where are your sisters?" Elliot asked, slightly annoyed. He hated being late.

"Katie's still trying to put her eyeliner on and Maureen's in the kitchen getting some water."

"No I'm not, I'm ready," Maureen corrected, appearing with a Nalgene bottle of water.

"Katie, we're late!" Elliot called.

Kathleen walked out of her room that she shared with Maureen thirty seconds later, dressed in a tight black tank top, black baggy jeans, and black boots. She was wearing the same black lipstick and eyeliner as the night before.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Isn't that a bit much for a day in Central Park, Katie?"

Kathleen shook her head. "I always dress like this."

"We know," Lizzie rolled her blue eyes to the ceiling. "You look like Vampira."

"Lizzie, that's not nice," Elliot warned, though he secretly agreed with her. "At least grab a sweatshirt or something Katie. It's warm out, but not that warm."

Kathleen sighed but grabbed a black hooded sweatshirt from the back of the couch. "Happy now?"

"Yes. Does everyone have everything? Katie, you have all of your camera stuff?"

"Yeah, I packed last night."

"Okay, let's go." They loaded into Elliot's car and headed for Central Park.

In Manhattan, Olivia was standing in line at the deli, waiting impatiently for her turn. She'd decided to bring fried chicken, which she was stopping at KFC to get on her way to the Park, and different kinds of salad. Finally, after buying a BLT pasta salad, two kinds of potato salad, a fruit salad, and cupcakes (Maggie's request), Olivia headed out of the store. As she was loading the food into the trunk, she noticed that Brian was digging the toe of his sneaker into the ground and kicking at rocks, looking very nervous.

"What's wrong Brian?" Olivia asked softly.

"Nothing," Brian muttered.

"Brian…"

He sighed. "What if they don't like me?" he asked softly.

"What if who doesn't like you?" Olivia questioned, her brows furrowing.

"Elliot's kids."

Olivia crouched down to eye level. "Why wouldn't they like you?" she questioned. Years of interviewing children had taught Olivia that if you asked them questions, sometimes they'd come to the answers on their own.

Brian shrugged. "Some kids at my old school made fun of me because of my mom."

Olivia sighed. "Oh Bri. I wish I could tell you why some kids are mean and make fun of other people, but I can't. But I promise you that Elliot's kids won't tease you about your mom. And I'm sure they'll like you. What's not to like?"

Brian shrugged. "I dunno."

Olivia grinned. "That's because there isn't anything not to like, you're great. Don't worry about it. We're just going to Central Park to have lunch and play outside since it's such a nice day. Okay?"

Brian nodded. "Okay."

They loaded themselves into the car and, after swinging by KFC, Olivia arrived at Central Park and parked her car. She lifted Jacob's car seat out and carried it in one hand while she balanced Maggie in the other arm and carried the bag from KFC in the same hand. Brian was carrying the diaper bag and the bags from the grocery store. As they came over a small hill, Olivia saw Elliot playing soccer with Lizzie, Dickie, and Maureen while Kathleen took pictures.

Maggie began bouncing in Olivia's arms. "Elliot!" she yelled. "Hi, Elliot! Throw me? Please?"

Elliot looked up and paused at the picture before him. Olivia walked closer and he felt the breath leave his body. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a red shirt and a denim jacket. Dark sunglasses hid her eyes but she was grinning at him. He walked up to them and barely resisted the urge to kiss her. His kids were watching, he reminded himself. Instead, Elliot reached out and brushed his knuckles gently over her cheek.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey yourself," Olivia answered. "Care to give us a hand?"

Elliot laughed and took the KFC bag from her and the diaper bag from Brian. "No problem. Did you buy out the grocery store, Liv?"

Olivia laughed. "No, just a few salads, some chicken, you know, picnic stuff."

"And cupcakes!" Maggie exclaimed.

"And cupcakes," Olivia repeated with a laugh. "How are things with you?"

"Good. I couldn't convince Katie to take off the Goth crap though."

"It's a phase, El," Olivia reminded him softly as they approached the blankets Elliot had set up.

Dickie raced over after a loose soccer ball and stared at Brian. "Hi," he said finally. "I'm Dickie. I'm eleven."

Brian smiled nervously. "I'm Brian. I'm eight. I'll be nine in June."

Dickie nodded. "You wanna play soccer with me and my sisters?"

Brian grinned eagerly. "Sure! Can I, Olivia?"

"Go on," Olivia said with an indulgent smile. "But stay where we can see you!"

"Okay!" Brian and Dickie raced off towards the makeshift soccer field.

"That went well," Olivia said softly as she began unloading everything she'd brought. "Brian was worried."

"He worries a lot," Elliot responded. "It's all he knows how to do."

Olivia straightened and watched as Brian and Dickie took on Lizzie and Maureen in a game of soccer. "This is good for him."

"He'll be fine, Liv," Elliot said reassuringly as he rested a hand on her lower back. "He just needs to learn how to be a kid."

An impatient tugging on his arm made Elliot look down into Maggie's wide blue eyes. "Toss, please," she said, holding her arms up.

Elliot laughed and picked Maggie up, tossing her in the air and catching her a few times while she laughed.

"You used to do that to us, too," a voice spoke up from behind them.

Olivia and Elliot both turned to see Kathleen watching him with Maggie. Olivia had to work not to flinch at the severe makeup on her face.

"That's right, I did," Elliot said, smiling. "But then you guys went and grew up on me. Miss Maggie here is the perfect size though."

Kathleen nodded.

"Hey, Kathleen," Olivia said with a smile. "How are you?"

Kathleen shrugged. "Okay." She smiled slightly at Maggie. "Hi."

Maggie reached out for Olivia and, when Elliot passed her over, buried her face in Olivia's neck again. Olivia patted her back gently. "Maggie's a little shy. Maggie honey, this is Elliot's daughter, Kathleen."

Maggie still refused to budge from Olivia's arms so Kathleen bent over the baby carrier. "Hi sweetie," she cooed gently.

"Dad! They're cheating!" Elliot heard Liz wail from the soccer field.

He rolled his eyes at Olivia. "I'll be back. My referee services are required."

When he was gone, Olivia smiled cautiously at Kathleen. "Wanna give me a hand with setting everything up?"

Kathleen shrugged. "Sure." They began working and a few seconds later Maureen jogged up.

"Hey Olivia. Need any help?"

Olivia grinned. "Hey. Sure. Grab the plates and napkins, will you?"

"Okay." Maureen smiled at Maggie. "Hey honey. Aren't you cute?"

Maggie clung to Olivia, but smiled slightly. As she turned back to the bags of supplies, Maureen leaned over Jacob's carrier. "You sure are sweet when you're awake, little boy." Jacob grabbed Maureen's finger and held on. Maureen laughed. "Olivia, can I hold him?"

Olivia grinned. "Sure. Be careful to support his head."

"I know." Maureen picked the baby up and cradled him in her arms. "He's adorable, Olivia."

"He's a good baby, hardly ever cries unless he wants something." Seeing that everything was ready, Olivia stood up. "Hey! Lunch is ready, guys!" she yelled.

Elliot and Liz ran over from the field and settled on the blanket. Brian and Dickie had started over only to be distracted by something in the grass. After a few minutes, Olivia called again. "It's all gonna be gone if you guys don't get over here!"

Dickie picked something up and, carrying it carefully, the two boys walked to the group. "Look what we found!" he exclaimed.

"It's really cool!" Brian added.

Dickie opened his hands and Olivia jumped as she found herself staring at a foot long garter snake. Lizzie let out a yelp and hid behind Elliot, Maggie following. Kathleen and Maureen had both jumped up and were backed against the tree, staring at the snake like it might jump out and bite them.

"Isn't he great?" Dickie asked.

Olivia forced a smile. "Great."

"We're gonna keep him," Dickie said, grinning.

"What?" Liz shrieked.

"No way, Dad's never gonna let you!" Kathleen said firmly, shaking her head.

"We're naming him Slytherin, like Harry Potter," Brian continued, as if the girls hadn't spoken. "Wanna hold him, Olivia?"

Olivia cringed slightly but seeing the hopeful look on Brian's face she sighed. "Sure." As Dickie passed the snake into her hands, she tried not to shudder. "It's great guys."

"Where are we gonna put him, Dad?" Dickie asked.

Elliot shifted. "I'm not sure keeping him is such a great idea, Son. I'm not home a lot, who would feed him and take care of him?"

"We could take him to Mom's house," Dickie pleaded.

"Ew!" Kathleen exclaimed.

"Nuh-uh, you're not!" Lizzie argued.

"Maybe we could keep him at my house and you can see him when you come visit," Brian suggested. "Can we, Olivia?"

Olivia's eyes grew wide. "Uh…I don't think that's a good idea, Bri. We won't be home that much either. Plus, Central Park is his home. His family's here. I bet they'd miss him if he came home with us."

"Oh," Brian said softly. "I didn't think of that."

"I guess we should leave him here then," Dickie said.

"Why don't you guys go put him where you found him?" Olivia suggested, passing the snake back to Brian. The boys raced back to the field and Olivia bent down, grabbing the diaper bag and pulling out a bottle of hand sanitizer. After squirting a liberal amount on her own hands, she passed the bottle around to the rest of the group. When Brian and Dickie came back, she made them use it too, much to their horror.

After lunch, Dickie, Brian, Lizzie, and Maureen raced back to the soccer field. Elliot followed. Maggie sat by Olivia, staring at Kathleen with huge eyes. After a few minutes, she pulled on Olivia's sleeve. "Livvy?" she said softly. "Why's her mouth black?"

Olivia smiled slightly. "Why don't you go ask her?"

Maggie paused, then shook her head. "You do it."

"No, you want to know. I'll be right here though."

Maggie carefully approached Kathleen. "Why's your mouth black?" she asked softly.

Kathleen smiled slightly. "It's lipstick."

"Can you take it off?"

Kathleen nodded and grabbed a napkin, wiping the black off of her lips. "See? All gone."

Maggie smiled, dimples winking. "Now you're pretty."

Kathleen laughed. "Thank you. So are you."

Lizzie ran back to the blanket. "Maggie, do you want to come play soccer with us?"

Maggie thought about it for a second before nodding. Lizzie took her hand and led her to the field. When they were gone, Olivia smiled apologetically at Kathleen.

"I'm sorry about that. She's at that age where they have no filter between their brain and their mouth."

Kathleen shrugged. "It's okay. She's just a kid."

Olivia paused, then figured she had nothing to lose. "I like you much better without the black, though."

"It's how artists dress," Kathleen argued.

Olivia tipped her head to the side. "Who told you that?"

"My new friends."

Olivia sighed and sat down, patting the blanket next to her. "How's school going?"

Kathleen rolled her eyes. "Stupid."

"Yeah, to put it bluntly, high school sucks."

Kathleen laughed slightly. "No kidding. People are so damn shallow."

Olivia nodded. "I know the feeling."

"Like this guy, he said he'd go to a dance with me. Then my former best friend started spreading rumors about me and he said he wouldn't go. So they went. And she's a bitch."

"Yeah, she is," Olivia agreed. "Look Kathleen. I know people say that high school is supposed to be the time of your life. But the people who say that don't have anything great happen to them after high school. They're the ones who twenty years later still talk about their game-winning touchdown or when they were prom queen. The people who make something of themselves know that high school is hell. People are mean, bitchy, and shallow. But you know what? Those 'popular' people have it pretty bad off too."

"They do?" Kathleen asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Look at them. They act like they're such close friends, but at any time, one could turn around and stab another in the back. Just like your friend did to you. And these are their closest friends. Personally, I don't want to be friends with someone who's motive I'm always questioning. I'd rather have a few close friends who I can trust than a bunch of surface friends."

Kathleen nodded. "I guess I would too." She paused. "Were you popular in high school?"

Olivia shook her head. "No. I had five or six close friends. And most of us are still in touch."

"I don't really like the dark makeup, you know," Kathleen said softly. "I'm not a fan of Goth."

"Then why do you wear it?" Olivia asked gently.

"Because I'm not friends with Jenna anymore and all of her friends shunned me. I wanted to fit in with the art kids."

"Honey, if they're not going to be friends with you because you're smarter than to dress like a corpse, then they're not the kind of people you want for friends anyway."

Kathleen shrugged. "I guess not." She paused. "If they stop being my friends though, I won't have any."

Olivia sighed and slipped an arm around the girl's shoulder, hugging her gently. "Of course you will. What about people in your classes? Kathleen, you're smart and funny and talented. The other kids might just be intimidated by the make up."

"Really?"

Olivia nodded. "Really. You know, if you want, I could help you with makeup and stuff."

"You'd do that?" Kathleen asked with a small smile.

"Sure. It's hard to figure out your colors by yourself, trust me. If you want, I have a makeup case in the diaper bag with lipstick in it. You can try to find some you like."

Kathleen began shifting through the makeup case. She withdrew a tube and, taking out the mirror, slicked her lips with a dark red lipstick. "What do you think?"

Olivia looked up and considered the teenager. "Better. But I think that color's a little deep for your skin tone. Here," she reached over and looked through the case until she found another tube. "Try this one, it's a little lighter."

Kathleen wiped off the red and applied a color that was more mauve. "Better?"

Olivia grinned. "Much. That's a much better color on you than black. You can keep it if you want."

"Really? Thanks!" Kathleen stuck the lipstick in her camera case as Maggie ran over, pulling Lizzie behind her.

"Livvy, swing!" Maggie exclaimed.

"Yes, you and Lizzie can go swing, honey," Olivia said laughing slightly. "But be careful."

"No, you come too," Maggie said, grabbing Olivia's hand.

"Mags, I have to stay here with Jacob," Olivia said gently. "You'll have fun with Lizzie."

"I can watch Jacob," Kathleen volunteered hesitantly.

Olivia turned back to the teenager. "You sure? He should sleep for awhile, he had a big lunch."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Kathleen assured her. "I've taken care of babies before, don't worry. And if we need you, you're not that far away."

"Okay." Olivia stood up and Maggie began pulling her towards the swings. "Pretty much everything you need is in the diaper bag!" she called over her shoulder.

Kathleen laughed. "Olivia, go! Have fun! We're fine." Kathleen turned her attention back to the sleeping baby. "What do you think, Mr. Jacob? Do you want to help me with my homework?"

Jacob let out a little snuffle, which Kathleen took to be a yes. She grabbed her camera and began taking pictures of him. After awhile, she picked up the carrier in one hand and walked over towards the swings. She lined up her shot and caught Lizzie mid-leap from the swing onto the ground.

Lizzie saw her and stuck out her tongue, which Kathleen also caught. Kathleen turned her attention to Maggie and Olivia. Olivia was sitting on the swing with Maggie in her lap.

As Olivia pushed them slightly back and forth, Maggie laughed. "Higher, Livvy! Faster!"

Olivia laughed. "You're just a little thrill seeker, aren't you?" she asked as she obediently pushed the swing higher.

Elliot looked up at the sound of Olivia's laughter and walked over to the swings. "Hey," he said with a grin. "Need a hand?"

"We're okay," Olivia called down, then let out a surprised shout when, on their way back, Elliot placed his hands firmly on her rear and pushed them forwards.

Maggie squealed. "Do it again, Elliot!"

Elliot grinned and obliged, again placing his hands on Olivia's rear. From the front of the swing set, Kathleen lined up her shot and waited. Three pushes later, she got the perfect shot. Olivia and Maggie flying high in the air, both laughing, while Elliot stood underneath the swing, looking up and grinning. Kathleen was distracted from her pictures when a persistent cry from the carrier. She picked Jacob up and immediately knew what the problem was.

Olivia began slowing the swing down, dragging her feet across the ground. Kathleen looked up at her. "Olivia? Where are the diapers?"

"In the diaper bag, I'll be right there."

Kathleen shook her head. "I've got it, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I've done this before, you know."

Olivia smiled. "Okay. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will." Kathleen carried Jacob back to the blankets and changed him. As she did, Kathleen leaned over the baby and made funny faces, hoping to elicit a smile. When she was finished, she carried Jacob over to the soccer game so she could get some more pictures.

A while later, Maureen and Kathleen had gone for a walk, taking Jacob with them. Dickie, Brian, Lizzie, and Maggie were at the pond nearby, poking around and playing. Watching from a distance, Elliot sat on the blanket and leaned against the tree. Olivia sat between his bent knees, leaning back against his chest as his arms looped her waist.

"Everyone's getting along well," Elliot said as he brushed his lips against the back of her neck.

Olivia nodded. "I'm glad. Lizzie doesn't seem to mind Maggie following her around."

"Mind? She loves it," Elliot laughed. "After eleven years of being the youngest, she finally has someone littler than she is. But, next time we go out, let's leave the kids at home."

Olivia laughed. "What?"

"Just the two of us. On a date. As fun as today's been, it's also been torture."

Olivia turned her head, confusion darkening her eyes. "Why?"

"Because all day I've wanted to kiss you, but with the kids around I can't."

Olivia smiled. "The kids aren't watching us now. Why don't you try it?"

Elliot grinned and bent his head. His lips slanted over hers and Olivia shifted so she could deepen the kiss.

As Elliot's hands moved under the hem of her shirt to stroke her smooth skin, they heard a splash and a shout. "Daddy! Olivia!" Lizzie ran towards them as they jumped apart. "Maggie fell in the pond!"

Both were on their feet in a second, racing towards the pond. As they arrived, Dickie waded out of the water, soaking wet with a wet and sobbing Maggie clinging to his neck.

"Maggie!" Olivia exclaimed, taking her from Dickie. Maggie instantly attached herself to Olivia's neck. "Are you okay, baby? What happened?"

"We were just standing and she leaned over to try to touch one of the fish and fell in!" Brian exclaimed. "I was watching her, I promise!"

"He was watching her really good," Lizzie added. "It happened really fast."

Elliot had arrived in the middle of the explanation and immediately wrapped his arms around both Olivia and Maggie. He kissed Maggie's cheek and stroked her hair gently. "Is she okay?"

Olivia nodded. "I think so. Baby, do you hurt anywhere?" Maggie shook her head.

Elliot looked at the other kids, all of whom looked frightened and somewhat subdued. Then he noticed his son's wet clothes. "Dickie? What happened?"

"As soon as Maggie fell in, he jumped in after her and pulled her out," Lizzie answered for her brother who was blushing.

"You saved Maggie," Brian said in awe.

Dickie shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Olivia crouched down to Dickie's eye level, Maggie still clinging to her. "Yes it is," she said softly. "Thank you."

Dickie blushed harder when Olivia hugged him, but he was smiling. Olivia stood up and stroked Maggie's back gently. "How are you feeling, Miss Maggie?"

"Cold. Scared," Maggie whimpered.

"I bet you're cold. Let's go back to the blanket and get you warmed up, okay?"

Maggie nodded. "Want Livvy doll."

"We'll get your Livvy doll and we'll sit on the blanket and rest for a little bit, okay?" Olivia carried Maggie back to the blanket while Elliot rounded up the older kids.

As Lizzie ran ahead to check on Maggie and Elliot wrapped his arm around Dickie's shoulders in a one-armed hug. "I'm proud of you, son," he said with a smile. "You were calm under pressure and thought on your feet. Great job."

Dickie blushed again. "Thanks, Dad. Hey Brian! Wanna go play catch?"

Brian nodded. "Okay."

They raced ahead and Elliot called after them, "Ask Lizzie if she wants to play too!"

Elliot walked over to the blanket where Olivia had changed Maggie into dry clothes and was wrapping her in a blanket. Lizzie hovered by anxiously. "How's she doing?" Elliot asked softly, crouching down.

"Maggie? How're you doing?" Olivia asked gently.

"Scared," she answered, wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck again and holding on.

"I bet," Olivia lifted the little girl and settled back against the tree, Maggie cradled in her lap. "That was pretty scary."

Lizzie smiled at the little girl. "Do you want to come play catch with us, Maggie?"

"No," Maggie mumbled, clinging to Olivia tighter.

"How about the swings?" Liz offered hopefully.

"Want Livvy," Maggie answered firmly.

Olivia smiled gently up at Lizzie. "Thank you for the offer, but I think Maggie's still a little shaken up. And probably a little tired. It's past her n-a-p time."

"Okay. I hope she feels better."

"I'm sure after a little rest, she will," Olivia answered.

Lizzie ran off towards the boys and Olivia sighed. Elliot sat next to her and wrapped his arms around both Olivia and Maggie.

"Livvy?" Maggie whispered sleepily. "Sing to me?"

Olivia glanced at Elliot and blushed, but started singing "I Hope You Dance" softly. By the end of the first verse, Maggie was sound asleep. Olivia looked down at her and cuddled the little girl closer with a ragged sigh. Elliot drew Olivia closer, rubbing her arm gently.

"Talk to me," he requested softly.

"I should have been watching her closer," Olivia whispered. "I should have gone with them…"

Elliot shook his head. "It was an accident, Liv."

"She could have drowned, Elliot. Because I wasn't paying attention, she could have died. She would have if Dickie hadn't been so quick on his feet."

Elliot sighed. "Olivia, listen to me. Maggie falling in the pond was an accident. She slipped and she would have probably done it even _if_ you were there. In our jobs, we see the worst. And because of that we tend to think that there are no accidents, that every bump and bruise a kid gets is from some kind of abuse or neglect.

"But that's not how it is. Kids get hurt, Liv. And as much as we want to stop it and protect them, we can't always do that. No matter how good of parents we are and how closely we watch them, kids are adventurous. They have no fear of getting hurt. And because of that, they're going to have accidents. It doesn't mean that it's your fault or that you're a bad parent. It means that we can't protect them from every little mishap in life."

"Yeah, you're the one to talk about not being overprotective, Mr. I-Have-To-Go-Scare-My-Daughter's-Boyfriend," Olivia scoffed slightly. But Elliot's message wasn't lost on her.

"I know I have problems accepting it, too. But all that means is that you and I get to work that much harder not to overreact."

Olivia sighed. "They've been through so much," she whispered, stroking Maggie's hair gently. "I want to protect them from anything else, to let what's left of their childhood go uncontaminated by anything bad."

"I know you do. Wanting that for them is what makes you such an amazing mother. But part of having a normal childhood is falling down and getting hurt."

She sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm just shaken up still."

"I know." Elliot drew her closer. "But she's okay. A little cold, wet, and scared, but she'll be fine. I bet she doesn't even remember it in a few months."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Remember when Dickie broke his arm falling down the stairs when he was four?"

Olivia chuckled. "I wasn't sure who to be more worried about, Dickie, or you driving there."

"Well as scared as I was, he hardly remembers it. What he remembers is more from stories we told him, like how he used to use his cast as a weapon against his sisters."

Olivia laughed. "Great. None of these guys better try that."

They were interrupted by Maureen and Kathleen hurrying up, Maureen carrying Jacob in his carrier. "What happened?" Kathleen asked worriedly. "Liz said Maggie fell into the pond?"

Olivia nodded. "Dickie dove in and pulled her out, thankfully."

"Is she okay?" Maureen asked softly, looking at the sleeping child.

"A little shaken up and very tired. But I think she'll be fine, other than a couple of bruises. She was lucky," Elliot answered.

"Why don't you guys rest here?" Maureen suggested.

"Yeah, we'll look after the other kids," Kathleen agreed.

"Thanks," Olivia said with a smile. "That'd be great."

Kathleen bent down and stroked a gentle hand over Maggie hair before she kissed the top of her head. "Sleep tight, sweetie," she whispered.

Maureen repeated the gesture and they both headed back to the younger three. After several minutes of playing, the kids all convened in the center of the field. After they talked, Brian, apparently the elected spokesman for the group, walked over to the tree where Elliot and Olivia were sitting.

"Olivia?" he asked nervously. "Can Elliot and Dickie and Lizzie and everyone come over for dinner tonight?"

"Is that what your little powwow was about?" Olivia asked with a smile. Brian nodded. "Sure they can come over. That is, if Elliot says it's okay."

"Elliot?" Brian asked hopefully. "Can you? Please?"

Elliot laughed. "No problem. We weren't planning anything tonight."

"Great!" Brian exclaimed, racing back to the others who were all waiting for him.

As he watched Brian run off, Elliot turned to his partner, nestled in his arms. "Are you sure you have enough food in the house for everyone?"

Olivia laughed and shook her head. "No, but I figure we can order pizza. That'll make the kids happy."

"Ah, pizza. The food of choice for every kid out there. That sounds great."

In Olivia's lap, Maggie squirmed and opened her eyes. "Livvy?"

Olivia grinned and brushed the hair back from Maggie's face. "Hey sweetie. Did you have a nice nap?"

Maggie nodded and Elliot reached over to stroke a finger over her cheek. "Are you feeling well enough to go play with the other kids?"

Maggie nodded. "You an' Livvy come too," she said firmly.

Elliot stood up and helped pull Olivia to her feet. As they walked towards the soccer field, Maggie let out a squeal. "Livvy, look!" she exclaimed, letting go of Olivia's hand and starting to run. "A puppy!"

Olivia took off after Maggie, catching her just before she reached the golden retriever. "No Maggie, you can't just pet strange dogs."

"Why not?" Maggie asked innocently.

"Because some puppies don't like being pet, honey. You have to ask the puppy's owner."

Maggie stared at the lady with the dog for a moment before burying her face in Olivia's leg. "You do it," she murmured.

Olivia shook her head and crouched down. "No, you want to pet the puppy, so you need to ask the nice lady if it's okay. I'll be right here. Just say 'excuse me, may I please pet your puppy?' Okay?"

Maggie paused, then spoke softly. " 'Scuse me lady, can I pet the puppy please?"

The lady laughed and nodded. "Of course you can. She's very friendly."

Maggie immediately began petting the dog who wagged her tail and tried to lick Maggie. "What's her name?" Maggie asked, stroking her fur lovingly.

"Her name is Anna," the owner responded with a smile. She looked at Olivia. "Your daughter is beautiful. And such a sweetheart."

Olivia paused, unsure of how to respond, before smiling. "Thank you."

The lady looked at Elliot who had come up to join them. "She has your husband's blue eyes. Gorgeous. Watch out in a few years when she starts dating. How many children do you have?"

"Um…" Olivia paused, not sure how to answer.

Elliot wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled. "Seven. Four girls and three boys. The others are over there playing soccer."

The woman looked over and smiled. "You have a beautiful family."

"Thank you," Olivia said finally. There was really no reason to correct the lady. After a few more minutes she called out to Maggie that they should let the lady finish her walk with the dog.

Maggie hugged the dog tightly around the neck. "Bye-bye Anna. You're a nice puppy." Maggie walked over to Olivia and waved at the dog's owner. "Bye-bye. Thank you."

An hour and a half later, everyone was tired and ready to head for pizza at Olivia's house. Elliot helped Olivia gather the kids' things and looked up when he heard bickering.

"Maureen, let me take him," Kathleen snapped.

"No way, Katie! You got to carry him on the walk!" Maureen argued back.

Elliot laughed when he saw his two oldest daughters standing on either side of Jacob's carrier. "Girls?" he asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice.

"Katie's trying to hog the baby," Maureen said crossly.

"You got to stay with him the other night," Kathleen argued back.

"That doesn't count, we were both sleeping!" Maureen exclaimed.

"Okay, that's enough," Olivia said with a laugh. "You guys can spend all night with Jacob. And maybe baby-sit?"

"Anytime," Maureen and Kathleen said together.

"Olivia, can Dickie ride with us?" Brian asked hopefully, coming up to the adults, Dickie's soccer ball in his arms.

Olivia paused. "Normally that would be fine, Bri. But there isn't room in the backseat."

Elliot smiled. "Why don't you ride with us?" Elliot suggested.

"I'll ride with Olivia," Kathleen volunteered.

Elliot raised his eyebrows at Olivia who nodded. "We'll see you at the house," Elliot said with a smile. "Do you want us to call for the pizza?"

"We'll figure it out when we get there." Olivia helped Maggie into the car and Kathleen turned around to buckle the little girl in.

Elliot smiled gently at her. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Olivia felt her stomach clench with desire. "Yeah. In a few."

She climbed into the car and smiled out Kathleen's window at him as she pulled away.

Elliot arrived at the townhouse a few minutes after Olivia did. Brian and Dickie raced upstairs to play in Brian's room and Olivia heard the door slam. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and called to have pizza delivered. After a few minutes, Kathleen walked up to her nervously.

"Olivia? You know how you said you'd help me with my makeup?" When Olivia nodded, Kathleen continued. "Do you think you could teach me now?"

"Can I come too?" Lizzie asked hopefully.

Olivia laughed. "Of course you can. Maureen? Would you like to join us?"

Maureen smiled. "That sounds fun."

"Me too!" Maggie exclaimed, pulling on Maureen's arm to be lifted up.

"Okay, you guys can head upstairs, my makeup's in my bathroom." Olivia glanced at Elliot. "Can you handle Jacob and waiting for the pizza?"

Elliot grinned. "I'm pretty sure I can do that." He lifted Jacob into his arms. "Come here, little man. I'll explain baseball to you."

Jacob yawned and Olivia laughed again. "He seems very interested." She followed the girls upstairs and raised her eyes at the state of her bathroom. The girls had laid all of her makeup out on the counter, organized by type. As the older girls leaned over the selection, trying to decide what they wanted to try on, Maggie sat on the toilet lid, her arms crossed and pouting.

"What's wrong Maggie?" Olivia asked, crouching down.

"Reen said I can't touch," Maggie said petulantly.

Olivia smiled. "Well she's right. You're still kind of little to play makeup by yourself."

Maggie shook her head. "I'm not little, Livvy. I'm this many." Maggie held up three fingers.

Olivia nodded seriously, trying not to laugh. "Yes, but you still have to be a little bigger before you can play with my makeup."

"How many is Lizzie?" Maggie asked.

Olivia held up all ten of Maggie's fingers and one of her own. "Eleven."

"Oh. How many is Katie?"

Olivia left up all of Maggie's fingers and held up six of her own. "Sixteen. Katie can drive."

"Can I drive?" Maggie asked.

"Not until you're sixteen, honey."

Maggie pouted slightly. "How many is Maureen?"

Olivia held up nine fingers, in addition to Maggie's ten. "Nineteen."

Maggie paused for a minute, looking thoughtful. "How many are you, Livvy?"

Olivia glanced at Maureen and Kathleen who obediently held up all of their fingers. She left Maggie's fingers up and held up six of her own fingers. Maggie stared at her in shock. "That's a lot!" she exclaimed.

Olivia laughed but nodded. "Yes it is." She looked up at Kathleen with a smile. "You ready?" Kathleen nodded. "Okay, first you'll want to wash your face to get all the old makeup off."

Kathleen obeyed and Olivia carefully selected eye shadow, blush, and lipstick colors. When she was done, Kathleen sat down on the lid of the toilet, Maggie standing next to her and watching carefully. Olivia began with the basics, explaining to Kathleen the importance of choosing the right shade of foundation. She then picked up a palate of brown tones and applied three of them to Kathleen's lid, explaining what she was doing and why. When she was finished, she handed the younger girl a mirror.

"Well, what do you think?" Olivia asked with a smile.

Kathleen stared at the reflection for a minute as a slow smile bloomed on her face. "I love it!" she exclaimed. Then she paused. "Why did you only do one eye?"

Olivia smiled. "That way you can try to do the other one yourself."

Kathleen bit her lip. "Are you sure?"

"You saw what I did," Olivia replied kindly. "You can do it."

"Okay." Kathleen picked up the eye shadow and went to work.

Lizzie smiled at Olivia hopefully. "Can you do my makeup now, Olivia?"

Olivia nodded and went to work, using a very light hand. When she was done, Maggie tugged on her arm. "Me too, Livvy! Me too!"

Olivia laughed and lifted Maggie into her arms. "You can wear lip gloss, how's that?"

Maggie shook her head. "Like Katie an' Lizzie."

Olivia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Sorry sweetie. You're too little to wear makeup."

"But I'm this many!" Maggie exclaimed, holding up her fingers again.

"Yes I know. But you have to be fourteen before you can wear makeup."

"How many fingers is that?" Maggie asked, her eyebrows drawing together.

Olivia set her on the counter and held up all of Maggie's fingers and four of her own. "That's fourteen."

"That's more than Lizzie!" Maggie exclaimed indignantly.

"Well…yes…but I don't make the rules for Lizzie, because I'm not in charge of her," Olivia explained. "It's either lip gloss or nothing."

Maggie thought about that for a second before nodding. "Okay. Goss."

Olivia slicked lip gloss onto Maggie's lips as Maureen experimented with the eye shadow. "Hey Olivia? How come you have blue eye shadow?"

Olivia laughed. "Oh God. It's from undercover stuff. A few years ago, we had to go undercover at a rave."

Lizzie gasped. "You went to a rave? How come? Aren't they really dangerous?"

"Yeah. But we were looking for a girl who had run away from home. And I had to fit in with the teenagers there so we wouldn't be found out."

"Did you find her?" Kathleen asked worriedly.

Olivia sighed sadly and shook her head. "Not really. We saw her, but she ran. She died of a drug overdose."

"Oh," Kathleen said softly. "That's awful."

"Livvy," Maggie said, patting Olivia's face to get her attention. "Can I put makeup on you?"

Olivia paused. "Um…well…I guess."

Maggie grinned. "Sit down, Livvy," she directed, pointing at the toilet.

Olivia sat down and Maggie stood on her tiptoes, trying to see the makeup on the counter. Maureen lifted her up and let Maggie pick out they eye shadow.

"Why don't I help you, Maggie?" Maureen suggested carefully.

Maggie shook her head, blonde curls flying. "No, I can do it myself."

Maureen and Olivia exchanged amused looks over Maggie's head. "Okay," Maureen said, stepping back to let Maggie work.

"Close your eyes," Maggie instructed.

Olivia obeyed and felt Maggie brush eye shadow over her left eye lid.

"Be gentle," Kathleen reminded the little girl. "You don't want to hurt Livvy."

Maggie's touch immediately gentled. When she finished the eye shadow, she lifted her arms up to Maureen. Maureen picked her up and held her over the sink. "Now what, Maggie?"

"Face color," Maggie answered.

"Face color?" Maggie rubbed Maureen's cheek. The young woman nodded. "It's called blush, honey. Here are the blushes." Maureen pointed and Maggie picked one up. Maggie climbed down and scrubbed the brush in the blush before coloring in Olivia's cheeks. Maureen let her pick out a lipstick.

Finally, Maggie stepped back, a proud smile on her face. "All done. You're pretty, Livvy."

Olivia looked up at Elliot's daughters nervously. Maureen was clearly trying very hard to look comforting, or at least neutral. Kathleen was trying very hard not to laugh, but only marginally succeeding. Lizzie was staring at her in horror. Olivia stood up slowly and turned to the mirror. She couldn't bite back the gasp. One eyelid was bright blue, the makeup extended well beyond where it should have. The other eye matched it, only in green. She had bright red circles drawn on her cheeks and bright pink lips.

"Wow Maggie," she said carefully. "It's very…colorful."

"It's pretty," Maggie said, beaming.

"Yes, it is," Maureen said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Olivia?" they heard Elliot call up the stairs. "Pizza's gonna be here in ten minutes!"

"We'll be right down!" Olivia called back. She grabbed a wash cloth. "Just let me wash my face."

Maggie latched onto Olivia's arm. "No Livvy. Leave it on."

Olivia sighed. "Fine."

Lizzie grinned. "I'll go tell Dad we're ready!" she exclaimed.

"You know, that really isn't necessary, Lizzie!" Olivia called after her slightly desperately.

"Yes it is!" Lizzie giggled, racing out of the room. She reached the top of the stairs and leaned over the railing. "Daddy! We're ready!"

Elliot smiled and walked to the bottom of the steps. "Okay, I'm ready."

Lizzie walked down the stairs first and Elliot smiled, hugging her to him. "You look beautiful, sweetheart. Far too old, but beautiful."

Lizzie grinned and turned to watch Maureen walk down the steps with Maggie on her hip. Elliot hugged his oldest daughter and tickled Maggie gently.

"Elliot, I got goss!" Maggie exclaimed.

Elliot's brow furrowed. "Goss?" he repeated, confused.

"Lip gloss," Maureen explained with a smile.

"Ah. It looks beautiful on you, Maggie," Elliot said with an indulgent smile.

Kathleen took a deep breath and started down the stairs. As she saw her father, she saw tears fill Elliot's eyes and a proud smile grow on his face. When she reached the bottom of the steps, Elliot enveloped her in a huge hug.

"I've never seen you look more beautiful," he said huskily.

Kathleen blushed with pleasure. "Thank you, Daddy. But it's just a little makeup. Olivia showed me how."

"You look like my little girl again," Elliot said as he pulled back and looked at his daughter without severe black makeup for the first time in months. "Do you like it?"

Kathleen smiled shyly and nodded. "I really do." She paused. "Olivia showed me what she used. Do you think maybe we can stop by the store tomorrow and buy some?"

Elliot's smile grew as relief lit his eyes. "Of course, honey. Of course." He turned to the other girls. "Could you all go run and tell the boys that dinner will be here soon?"

"Sure," Maureen said, starting up the stairs.

Confusion darkened Elliot's face as he looked around. "Where's Olivia?"

Kathleen and Lizzie began giggling and Maureen bit her lip to keep from laughing aloud. "She's upstairs," Maureen answered, rejoining her family in the entryway. "Olivia!" she called up the stairs. "Come on down!"

"I'm okay up here!" Olivia's voice answered.

"Olivia, come on," Elliot called back. "What's the problem?"

"Uh…nothing."

"Come on, Olivia!" Lizzie called up the stairs. "Show Daddy!"

Elliot glanced at his youngest daughter. "Show me what?"

Kathleen giggled. "Maggie did Olivia's makeup."

Elliot's eyebrows almost reached his hairline. "Oh?"

"It's…interesting," Maureen said diplomatically.

"Very colorful," Kathleen added.

"Olivia!" Elliot called to his partner. "I know why you're hiding, come down!"

Olivia sighed and walked slowly down the stairs. As Elliot saw his partner's face, he had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. Olivia glared at him, clearly daring him to make fun of her.

"Elliot, I did it!" Maggie exclaimed, bouncing in Maureen's arms. "All by myself!"

"It's beautiful, Maggie," Elliot said with a slightly chuckle. "Livvy looks great." He smiled warmly at Olivia. "Girls? Go get the boys please," he said, never taking his eyes off of his girlfriend.

The girls walked up the stairs and Elliot drew Olivia into the kitchen. He lifted his hands to cup her face as he looked carefully at her. Slowly, he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. As her arms came around his neck, he slipped his tongue into her mouth. Olivia moaned softly as his tongue caressed hers. When he pulled back, Olivia stared at him in shock.

"What was that for?" she whispered.

Elliot grinned and brushed his thumbs across her cheeks. "I wanted to make sure it was really you under all of this paint."

Olivia smiled softly. "And?"

Elliot smiled, drawing her closer again. "I'm pretty sure it is, but I better double check."

"I've always admired your thoroughness," Olivia whispered back as she raked her nails gently through the hair at the nape of his neck. He lowered his lips to hers and as the kiss deepened she moaned with pleasure. They were startled apart by the sound of the kids coming down the stairs, apparently as loudly as possible.

"Is the pizza here yet?" Dickie asked hopefully as he ran into the kitchen. "I'm starving."

"Me too," Brian agreed.

Elliot laughed. "Pizza should be here soon. Have you guys washed your hands after being at the park all day?" Judging from the guilty looks passed between the boys, Elliot figured the answer was no. "Why don't you all go do that?"

When the kids had gone, Olivia opened the fridge and pulled out lettuce and salad dressing. "Do your kids like Caesar dressing?" she asked, glancing back at Elliot.

Elliot nodded. "The girls like will eat any kind of salad, but Dickie still thinks eating vegetables will cause a long, painful death."

Olivia laughed. "So he wouldn't eat plain salad either?"

Elliot shook his head. "Don't worry about it though, he won't feel slighted."

Olivia smiled at him that he understood her so well. The doorbell rang and Elliot grabbed his wallet. "Elliot, I got it," Olivia said, reaching for her purse.

"You got lunch this afternoon," Elliot argued.

"And you got lunch all this week. It's my turn." Olivia pushed $35 into his hand. She would have gone to the door herself, but she still hadn't washed Maggie's makeup job off her face.

Elliot rolled his eyes. She was so stubborn. Then he grinned. It was just one of the things he loved about her. He paid the pizza guy and walked back into the kitchen carrying three boxes of pizza. "Where do you want these?" he asked.

Olivia pointed towards the end of the counter where she'd set up a kind of buffet with plates and silverware, glasses, drinks, and the salad. Elliot opened the boxes and Olivia glanced over his shoulder. "What'd you get?"

"One cheese, one veggie, and one sausage and pepperoni."

"Good mix. I don't know what Brian and Maggie will eat." She laughed. "Brian will probably eat whatever Dickie does."

"And Maggie will do the same with you," Elliot finished with a smile.

Olivia blushed but was saved from comment when the kids piled into the room. Dickie and Brian immediately grabbed plates and two slices of sausage and pepperoni pizza each. "Bri, take salad," Olivia reminded him as she supervised the other kids.

"Can I have a soda?" he asked as he grabbed a scoop of salad.

Olivia shook her head. "Milk. You had root beer at lunch."

Brian groaned. "Olivia," he whined. "Dickie's having soda."

Olivia sighed. "Sorry, Bri. But you only get one soda a day on the weekends."

"And Dickie's having milk too," Elliot added.

"Dad!" Dickie moaned.

Elliot arched an eyebrow and Dickie took a glass of milk, sitting down at the kitchen table. When the older kids had gotten their food and were settled, Olivia put two slices of veggie pizza on a plate and scooped up some salad. She sat down and settled Maggie into her lap. But before she'd taken a bite, Jacob began to fuss. Olivia sighed and looked at Elliot. "Can you take Maggie?" she asked.

Elliot shook his head and stood up. "I'll get him."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked.

Elliot nodded and lifted the baby from his seat. "I used to do this with the twins all the time." He heated one of Jacob's bottles and settled the baby into his arms, eating hungrily. When the baby fell asleep again, Elliot shifted him to his shoulder, burped him, then let him sleep while Elliot ate. After dinner, the adults cleared the table, putting leftover pizza and salad into the fridge.

"Olivia?" Brian asked, coming back into the kitchen. "Can we play a game?"

"Sure. Monopoly and Clue are both down here in the closet and Uno is in your room."

"Okay." He stood on a chair and pulled down both games.

When Olivia and Elliot poked their heads into the living room a few minutes later, they saw the older kids sitting on the floor around the coffee table, Monopoly spread out in front of them. Maggie sat on Maureen's lap, moving the piece for her on their turn. Elliot pulled Olivia gently back into the kitchen.

"They're getting along well," he said with a smile.

"I know." She beamed back at him. "And yours are so good about letting Brian and Maggie follow them around."

Elliot slid his arms around her waist. "Dickie loves having another boy to play with. And Maggie could win anyone over."

"Do you think we need to go supervise?" Olivia whispered, taking Jacob from Elliot and settling the baby against her shoulder, nuzzling him gently.

"I think they're fine," Elliot answered. "Coffee?"

"Coffee is good." They sat there for an hour, talking until Maureen stuck her head into the kitchen.

"Can I put a video on for them? We finished the game."

"Who won?" Elliot asked with interest.

Maureen rolled her eyes. "Lizzie. As usual."

"A movie's fine," Olivia said. "But I don't have any movies for kids."

"I checked the TV Guide. _Lilo and Stitch_ is on the Disney Channel. The boys won't be thrilled, but it's appropriate for Maggie."

"That's fine, thank you Maureen," Olivia said with a smile. A few minutes later, she stuck her head into the living room again and motioned Elliot to join her. Dickie and Brian were playing Uno, which was much more fun with more than two people. Lizzie was sitting on the couch with Kathleen while Maggie sat in her lap and Maureen was sprawled on the floor, propped up by two of Olivia's big pillows.

Olivia walked into the room and sat down in a big chair. Maggie immediately slid off of Lizzie's lap and climbed into Olivia's. Elliot grinned at the image of his partner holding a sleeping baby in one arm and a three-year-old in the other. He sat down on the couch next to Lizzie and his youngest daughter immediately leaned against her father. About half way through the movie, Olivia looked down and realized that Maggie was half asleep. She stood, balancing Jacob in one arm and Maggie in the other.

"I think it's time for someone to take a bath and get to bed," she said with a smile.

Maggie shook her head sleepily. "No, Livvy. I wanna stay up with the big kids."

Olivia smiled. "Okay, how about you take a bath and change into your pajamas, then you can come down and watch the rest of the movie?"

Maggie thought about that for a second, then nodded. "Okay."

Elliot stood also. "Do you want me to get the little man ready?"

Olivia nodded with a smile. "Thanks. You know where everything is, right?"

"Yep. And if I don't, I'll find it." Elliot lifted Jacob from her arms and cradled him against his chest. "Come on little man. Let's get you ready for bed."

When they left the room, Lizzie followed them with her eyes. "Wow, Dad's really good with Jacob."

Maureen smiled from the floor. "He loves babies. You guys don't remember, but he was that way with you too. He loved giving you baths and feeding you and putting you to bed. He's always been a pretty hands-on father. Especially once he made detective and was around more. When he worked the beat, he missed Katie and me being babies. But he was around a lot more when you and Dickie were little." As she said that, a thoughtful look crossed her face.

Kathleen caught her sister's expression and raised her eyebrows questioningly. Maureen shook her head and mouthed the word "later."

Lizzie nodded and stood up. She walked into the kitchen where Elliot was giving Jacob a bath in the baby tub. "Hey Daddy," she said softly, coming up next to him and smiling down at the baby. "Hi Jacob." She stroked a hand gently over the baby's head. "Can I help you, Daddy?"

Elliot smiled. "Sure, honey." Elliot handed her the washcloth. "Be careful when you wash his head, don't push on the soft spot."

Lizzie nodded. "He's so little," she whispered. "Aren't you sweet, Jacob? Yes, aren't you precious?"

Elliot smiled. "Okay, now we need to get him dressed." Elliot lifted the baby into his arms and wrapped him in a towel. "Do you want to help with that too?"

Lizzie nodded. She followed her father into Olivia's room and watched as he laid the baby down on the bed. "Can I get him dressed?" Lizzie asked hopefully.

Elliot laughed. "Sure." He talked Lizzie through diapering and dressing Jacob, and smiled proudly when Lizzie carefully lifted Jacob into her arms, swaying slightly. "You're really good with him, Lizzie," Elliot said, rubbing the baby's back gently.

Lizzie beamed. "Thanks. I'm going to start taking a babysitting class at school in a few weeks. It's after school."

"That's great, honey."

Lizzie paused. "Do you think Olivia will let me baby-sit like she's letting Katie and Maureen?"

Elliot drew a deep breath. "I don't know. I think you're probably a little young to watch three kids all by yourself. But I'm sure Olivia would love for you to come over and help play with Maggie and take care of Jacob so she can do stuff around the house."

"Really?" Lizzie asked, grinning.

"Sure. I know she'd appreciate the offer. Ready to go down stairs?"

Lizzie nodded and walked carefully down the stairs. She settled herself onto the couch, cuddling the baby in her arms.

Kathleen looked over at her sister. "Let me hold Jacob, Lizzie."

"It's my turn, Katie, you had him last," Maureen objected.

"No I didn't!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter who held Jacob last. I have him now. Besides, I haven't held him yet."

Kathleen and Maureen sighed, but had to admit that Lizzie was right.

Maggie raced into the room a few seconds later, dressed in a pink princess nightgown. She climbed into Elliot's lap and leaned back to watch the movie. Olivia walked into the room a few minutes later and Maggie smiled sleepily at her.

"Sit here, Livvy." Maggie pointed to the spot next to Elliot on the couch.

Olivia obediently sat down and Elliot rested his arm on the back of the couch behind her. She wanted to lean against his side, but knew that, with the kids in the room, she couldn't.

"Is Jacob all ready for bed?" she asked, tilting her head to look at Elliot.

"Yep," Liz answered. "I got him ready."

Olivia smiled. "Thank you. You're awfully good with him, Lizzie."

Lizzie blushed at the compliment. "I'm taking a babysitting class at school soon." She bit her lip nervously. "Do you think when I'm done with it, maybe I could come over and watch Maggie and Jacob so you can do stuff around the house? Like a mother's helper?"

Olivia smiled. "That would be great, Liz. I'd love to have you do that."

"And maybe when I'm older, I can baby-sit?"

"Of course." Olivia looked up at Elliot and whispered. "I'm suddenly overrun with baby-sitters."

"I had a feeling this might happen," he answered with a grin.

When the movie was over, Elliot stood up, placing Maggie on the couch. "We'd better get going."

"Daddy, can Olivia and the kids come with us roller skating tomorrow?" Lizzie asked hopefully.

"That's fine with me, but you'll have to ask Olivia," Elliot answered. "They might have plans."

Lizzie turned to Olivia who had also stood up. "Can you? Please?"

"That sounds okay, we weren't planning on doing anything big. Why don't your dad and I talk tonight and figure it out?"

"Okay. Do you roller skate, Olivia?"

"Well, I used to. I haven't in awhile though."

"Daddy doesn't."

Olivia laughed. "No, I can't really picture him on skates."

Elliot mock glared at his partner. "Come on, guys. Dickie and Lizzie, you guys still have homework to do."

The twins groaned and Lizzie stood up, kissing Jacob gently and handing him to Olivia. Maureen and Kathleen kissed Jacob good-bye and hugged Maggie and Olivia before heading out to the car. Dickie and Lizzie followed them a few seconds later. Elliot smiled at Olivia who stood, rocking Jacob gently.

"I'll call you after the kids go to bed?"

"Sounds good."

Elliot hugged her gently, be careful not to squish Jacob, then brushed a gentle kiss over her cheek. He hugged Maggie and Brian, kissed Jacob, then followed his kids out to the car. He stopped halfway down the walk and turned around to send a shit eating grin at Olivia before climbing into the car and driving away.

Once they arrived home, Dickie and Lizzie headed upstairs to do homework and Kathleen pulled Maureen into their room. "Okay, what was that look about?"

Maureen flopped down on her bed, her head at the foot, and propped herself up with a pillow. "Olivia and Dad seem awfully comfortable with each other, don't you think?"

"They _are_ best friends, Reen," Kathleen pointed out, propping herself against the wall. "And they're partners."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "I know that. But watching Dad with Olivia's kids, he's acting like a dad to them."

"They've never had a dad before, though. I think it's great that Dad's helping Olivia so much."

"Oh, I do too, don't get me wrong. And those kids are great. But I think there's more going on between Olivia and Dad than they're letting on."

"You think they're dating?"

"I think it's entirely possible."

Kathleen's brow furrowed. "But they can't date. Isn't it against department policy? They could lose their jobs!"

Maureen shrugged. "I don't know anything for sure. It's just a feeling I have. Didn't you see the way they looked at each other and how they'd use any excuse to touch each other?"

Kathleen paused, then nodded. "They did seem closer than they did before. And Daddy was seemed really close to the kids. It was like he and Olivia had this perfect schedule down, getting Maggie and Jacob ready for bed and everything."

"Are you okay with Dad and Olivia dating?" Maureen asked.

Kathleen shrugged. "It's kind of a new idea. I mean, I like Olivia and the kids are great. If he has to date someone, I'd rather it be her."

Maureen nodded. "I don't think we should tell Dad or the twins that we know. Especially since Dad and Olivia could get in trouble at work."

Kathleen nodded in agreement. "Plus, when they want us to know, they'll tell us."

"So we'll keep it a secret."

"At least for now."

Later that night, Elliot checked to make sure the kids were asleep before he called Olivia.

"Hey sexy," she answered with a smile.

"Hello gorgeous," Elliot responded. "How're things there?"

"Quiet. Brian and Maggie passed right out. Jacob went down about fifteen minutes ago. It was a busy day for them. How about at your place?"

"Dickie and Lizzie did some homework, then fell asleep with amazingly few pleas to stay up and watch _SNL_. Maureen and Katie are in their room."

"Today was fun," Olivia said as leaned against the back of her couch and smiled. "I'm glad the kids got along so well."

"I had a feeling they would," Elliot grinned. "Lizzie's really excited that you're coming with us skating tomorrow."

"What time does it start? Brian still has some worksheets to finish before he starts school on Monday."

"I called the rink and Skate to the 80's starts at 2:00 and ends at 6:00."

"Where is it?"

"Rock and Roll skating rink in Queens. Lizzie's friend's mom owns it."

"We'll meet you there at 2:00?"

"Sounds good." Elliot grinned. "What are you doing now?"

"Sitting here on the couch, wishing like hell that I could have given you a good-bye kiss."

"I have the same wish," Elliot answered. "Have you washed the makeup off yet?"

Olivia laughed. "As soon as Maggie was asleep."

"So," Elliot said, feeling more nervous than he had in years. "Now that you have two baby-sitters who are ready and waiting, what do you say to a real date next Friday?"

Olivia paused. "I don't know, El. It's not that I don't want to, but it's the end of the kids' first week at school and daycare. And I'm not sure I'm ready to leave them yet."

Elliot nodded on his end, disappointed. "Okay," he said softly.

"But…Olivia paused. "What if you come over later Friday night, after the kids have gone to bed? We can have a quiet, romantic dinner and I won't have to worry about leaving them quite yet."

Elliot grinned. "That's a great idea. I don't want you to worry about cooking though. Why don't I bring something?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "We'll figure it out this week." She smiled. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Liv."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Olivia said with a smile.

"Sleep tight, sweetheart."

"You too." Olivia hung up the phone and snuggled down into her covers, falling quickly into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day Olivia arrived at the roller rink with all three kids. Brian was almost vibrating with excitement over getting to play with Dickie again and Maggie had asked her at least ten times on the ride there if Lizzie and Kathleen and Maureen would be there. She paid for their skates, roller blades for Brian and skates for herself and Maggie, and led them inside.

"Hi Brian!" Dickie yelled, racing up to them and coming to a fast stop on his roller blades. "Come on, let's go get your skates!"

Brian took the ticket from Olivia and hurried off. Elliot walked up to them with a smile. "Hey," he whispered, running his hand down her arm.

"Hi," Olivia said, smiling back at him. "Dickie and Brian are off, ready to cause chaos. Brian's never skated before."

"He'll be fine. He's a natural athlete." Elliot crouched down. "Hi there, Maggie Mae. Are you ready to roller skate?"

Maggie nodded. "Is Lizzie an' Katie an' Reen here?"

Elliot laughed. "They sure are, they're out on the rink right now. As soon as you get ready, you can go out with them."

Olivia cleared her throat "I think I better go with her. Ready to get our skates, Maggie?"

"Uh-huh."

As they headed over to the rental desk, Elliot glanced at Olivia. "You're really going to skate, Liv?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I was planning on it. Why?"

"Well I was hoping that you could keep me company while the kids skated."

Olivia laughed. "I don't want to make the girls watch Maggie, but I have a feeling that she'll tire of skating pretty soon and until then, you can always have quality time with Jacob here. He's a little young for skates."

Elliot laughed too. "Very true."

Olivia smiled at the fifteen year old boy behind the counter. "Size 7 ½ please and one pair of children's skates, the adjustable ones, please."

The boy goggled and handed Olivia the skates. Maggie looked at the bright yellow plastic skates, then at Olivia's. "I want those," she said, pointing.

"Honey, they don't have skates like mine that are little enough for you. These are just your size," Olivia explained.

"Yours are prettier," Maggie argued.

"I know. But they're too big for you, you'd fall out of them," Olivia chuckled.

Maggie sighed, but let Olivia lead her to a bench and strap the skates to her feet. Elliot took Jacob from Olivia and let her fasten her own skates. Olivia stood up carefully and balanced before helping Maggie to her feet. Maggie's feet immediately went out from under her and Olivia caught her.

"Careful, honey."

"These are hard," Maggie said, holding onto Olivia for dear life. "Make them work right, Livvy."

Olivia laughed. "Let's try again." She turned Maggie around so they could both go forwards and held onto both of her hands. "Okay, take little baby steps. I've got your hands."

Elliot chuckled as Olivia and Maggie made slow progress towards the entrance to the rink. Brian and Dickie flew past the gate with Brian shouting "Hi Elliot!" over his shoulder.

Lizzie skidded to a stop against the wall. "Hi Olivia! Hi Maggie! Olivia, can I take Maggie around the rink?"

Maggie grinned. "Hi Lizzie! I'm skating!"

"I see that. Can I, Olivia?"

Olivia smiled. "I'm going to take her around a few times to help her get used to skating. But if she's doing okay, then you can."

"Okay. Can I skate with you guys?"

"Sure."

As they skated around the rink, Elliot stood against the wall and smiled. After one lap around, Olivia turned around and crouched down so she could skate backwards and hold onto both of Maggie's hands. "Wow, Olivia. You're really good," Lizzie said in awe.

Olivia smiled. "Thanks. I haven't done this in years."

"I can spin," Lizzie said. "Watch."

Olivia watched with a smile as Lizzie skated into the center of the rink, tucked her arms in tight to her body, and spun. "That was great," Olivia said as Lizzie skated back.

"Wow," Maggie said, awestruck. "I wanna spin, Livvy!"

Olivia laughed. "Not quite yet, Maggie Mae. You need to be a little steadier on your skates first."

"Can you spin, Olivia?" Lizzie asked as they resumed their lap.

"I was never very good at spinning, but I could do a few other tricks."

"Can I see?" Lizzie asked hopefully.

Olivia paused. "Uh…sure. But I haven't been on roller skates in awhile so I'm not sure how good I'll be."

"That's okay," Lizzie said. "Please?"

"Okay. Can you hold Maggie's hands?"

Lizzie crouched down and took Maggie's hands in her own. "Watch Livvy, Maggie," Lizzie coached.

"Livvy?" Maggie asked, watching her skate away. "Where's she goin'?"

"She's going to show us a trick. Watch."

Maggie and Lizzie watched, wide eyed, as Olivia skated to one end of the center, turned around, and skated quickly back towards the other end. A quarter of the way there, she slid down into the splits and coasted along the floor until she was almost at the end, where she stood back up. When she arrived back at Lizzie and Maggie, both girls were staring at her in awe.

"That was awesome!" Lizzie exclaimed. "That was so cool!"

Olivia blushed slightly. "Thanks. I haven't done that in years."

"Can you teach me to do that?" Lizzie asked as Maggie let go of her hands and took tiny steps towards Olivia, wrapping her arms around one of Olivia's legs.

"I can try," Olivia answered, gently untangling Maggie and holding onto her hands. "But can we take a few more laps with Maggie?"

"Sure." Lizzie grinned. "I have an idea." She skated forwards a few feet and held out her arms. "Come here, Maggie."

Olivia, figuring out Lizzie's plan, helped Maggie turn herself around. "Can you go get Lizzie, Mags? Go skate to her."

Maggie took two small steps forward, still clinging to Olivia's hand. Olivia slowly released her and Maggie skated the rest of the way Lizzie on her own. Once she was safely holding onto Lizzie's hands, Maggie looked at Olivia, amazed.

"I did it, Livvy! All by myself!"

Olivia beamed at her and skated over, crouching to hug her. "Yes you did! You did great, Maggie! I'm so proud of you!"

Maggie grinned and they started skating around the rink again, slowly. After a few more laps, Kathleen and Maureen skated up and Olivia let the girls take Maggie around the rink. She skated over to the exit and slid up next to Elliot.

"You're great out there," he said with a smile, resting a hand on her lower back.

Olivia blushed. "Thanks. Why don't you come out?"

Elliot laughed. "Because roller skating and me don't go together well."

"Oh come on," Olivia teased. "It can't be that bad."

"Worse, much worse. Besides, if I went out there, who would stay with Jacob?"

"I will!" Maureen piped up hopefully as she slid up. "Katie and Lizzie have Maggie under control and Brian and Dickie are racing around the rink. Go on, Daddy. Have fun."

Elliot sighed as Olivia dragged him over to the rental desk. Elliot was handed a pair of roller skates and he sat down, tying them to his feet. "This isn't going to be pretty, Liv," he warned.

"Come on, chicken," Olivia taunted, pulling her partner to his feet.

Elliot stood up shakily. He kept one hand linked tightly linked in hers as they skated slowly towards the rink. When they entered the rink and Elliot no longer had the benefit of carpet under his skates, his grip on Olivia's hand tightened. She laughed.

"I'm not going to let you fall," she assured him.

"If I do, I'm bringing you down with me, partner," he responded teasingly.

"I know."

They made a few slow laps around the rink, Olivia skating backwards and holding onto Elliot's hands. After several minutes, the DJ called for partner skate. The lights dimmed and "All By Myself" by Celine Dion started playing. Olivia laughed as she saw Brian and Dickie make a beeline for the exit. Lizzie and Maggie followed and Kathleen joined them. Olivia and Elliot skated towards the exit, only to find it blocked by Elliot's oldest daughters.

"You guys skate," Maureen said with a smile.

Olivia paused, trying to read the looks on the girls' faces. "Are you sure you guys are okay?"

"Yeah. Jacob's fine and we can entertain Maggie," Kathleen said with a smile.

"Okay. There's money in my purse, why don't you get everyone a snack?"

"Here," Elliot pulled out a $20 bill. "I'll get it."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked. "You got pizza last night."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Give the change to the boys so they can play the video games, okay?"

"Got it," Maureen said with a smile. "Have fun you two!"

Olivia blushed. "Thanks. Oh, Brian and Maggie can't have soda. If that's all they have, then non-caffeinated, okay?"

"Yep."

Olivia and Elliot set out, skating slowly side by side, fingers linked. "I think your daughters suspect something," she said softly.

"They have good instincts," Elliot answered. "Wanna give them something to talk about?" he asked with a leer.

Olivia stumbled over her own feet, but caught herself. "Elliot," she gasped.

He gave her one of his shit-eating grins. "Is that a no?"

"The kids are watching us!"

"Later?"

She grinned. "If we can get five minutes alone."

"I'd prefer to have a whole night. Maureen and Katie could babysit…"

"Not just yet. I trust Maureen and Katie, but I'm not sure I could leave the kids yet."

"I know," Elliot stopped and pulled her gently in front of him. "When you are, I'll be here. And until then spending time with you and the kids is perfect."

Olivia smiled softly. "Thank you for being so wonderful."

"It's not a hardship," Elliot answered. He wanted, more than anything, to kiss her but settled for squeezing her hands. They started off again slowly until their skates tangled and both went down in a heap. When they began to fall, Elliot had wrapped his arms around Olivia and twisted so she landed on top of him, not on the ground.

"Oof," Olivia grunted slightly. "Sorry about that," she whispered, staring into Elliot's deep blue eyes.

"My fault," Elliot answered, his hands running gently up her back. "Are you okay?"

Olivia grinned. "Someone broke my fall. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Elliot leered. "Never been better." He reached up and brushed his lips over hers briefly.

"The kids," she objected weakly, even as her hands tightened on his biceps.

"They'll have to get used to it," Elliot answered.

"Not here though."

"Why not?" Elliot asked, eyebrows waggling.

"For one thing, we're in the middle of a roller skating rink and if we lay here for much longer we're going to get run over."

Elliot laughed. "Well I'd get up, except someone's holding me down."

Olivia laughed also and carefully climbed to her feet. She held her hand out to Elliot who looked at her distrustfully. "Yes?" Olivia asked.

"I don't think I can get up without falling again."

Olivia laughed again. "Of course you can. One foot at a time."

Elliot managed to climb to his feet, only to lose his balance and have to cling to Olivia. "I told you I couldn't skate."

"You're not doing so bad," Olivia said as they began skating again.

"Liv, I saw your trick with the split thing. You're amazing."

Olivia blushed. "It's an old trick."

"I'm amazed at least," Elliot said, squeezing her hand.

When the skating rink closed, Elliot glanced at Olivia who was busy bundling Jacob into his carrier and tucking blankets around him. "Do you want to go to dinner with us?"

"Where?" Brian asked, interest peaking.

"Brian," Olivia chided gently.

"Pasta Place," Elliot answered with a smile.

"That sounds great," Olivia said with a smile.

"I wanna ride with Dickie and Elliot!" Brian exclaimed.

"Then I get to ride with Olivia!" Liz said firmly, giving her sisters a look that dared them to argue with her.

Everyone piled into the cars and when they met up at Pasta Place, the kids immediately picked out a booth. Olivia looked at Elliot. "I've never been here. How does this work?"

"We place our order at the counter and they bring it to us. Technically, we're supposed to wait to grab a table until we order, but since there are so many of us sitting down now might be a good idea. Why don't you and I get the kids' orders?"

"That sounds smart." Jacob began to fuss so Olivia lifted him into her arms and began swaying back and forth. "Brian, what do you want, hon?" She grabbed a to go menu. "They have mac and cheese, buttered noodles and parmesan, and noodles with red sauce."

Brian paused thoughtfully. "What are you having, Dickie?"

"Adult sized buttered noodles and a roll."

"I want that too," Brian said.

"Okay," Olivia glanced down the menu. "Do you want meat on that?"

"What kind of meat?" Brian asked, interested.

"Um…chicken, beef, and shrimp."

"Do I like shrimp, Olivia?"

"I don't know. Have you had it before?"

Brian shrugged. "Dunno. Can I have chicken?"

"Sure. Maggie honey, what do you want?"

"Mac and cheese!"

"With chicken?"

Maggie nodded. "Can I have soda?"

"How about lemonade?"

"Okay."

Olivia and Elliot walked up to the counter, Olivia reading the menu. She ordered for the kids and then paused. "I don't know what I want," she said to Elliot, rolling her eyes. "It all looks good."

"You want to get two things and split them?"

"That sounds good."

"Okay, what looks good?"

"I'll choose one thing and you choose one?"

"Okay. For my choice, we'll have the Penne Pesto with beef." Olivia made a noise of discontent in her throat and Elliot glanced at her. "Chicken?"

Olivia nodded. "And a Greek salad with shrimp."

"Feta, Liv?" Elliot asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Can we get the feta on the side?" Olivia asked the girl behind the counter.

"Sure. Anything else? Dessert maybe?"

Elliot laughed. "Uh…not just yet."

They ordered drinks before sitting down at the table. Maggie was sandwiched between Lizzie and Kathleen on one side of the booth, with Maureen, Dickie and Brian on the other. Elliot glanced at Olivia. "We might have to get our own table."

"Yeah, I think we've been booted."

Elliot and Olivia settled themselves at a table across from the kids, Jacob sitting in his car seat on a chair between them. Olivia glanced over that the kids. "Do you think they'll be okay over there?"

"They'll be fine," Elliot assured her. "Maggie's being entertained by the girls," he glanced over. "And I think Dickie and Brian are plotting some kind of coup."

Olivia laughed. "Okay, I'm overprotective. I know it."

"It's a right of parenthood, hon," Elliot grinned. "So is everyone ready for school and daycare tomorrow?"

Olivia sighed. "Brian's excited. A little nervous but excited. But any time I mention daycare, Maggie just shakes her head and says she doesn't want to go."

"She'll be okay, Liv. That little girl over there's a lot stronger than she looks."

"What if she's not?" Olivia whispered, worry etched on her face.

"Then we'll figure out how to help her." Elliot looked up as the waitress arrived with their food. The waitress passed the food to the kids, then delivered Elliot and Olivia's food. Elliot stabbed a piece off pasta and mushroom and held it out to Olivia. "Here, try."

Olivia opened her mouth and smiled, nodding. "Good. Here." She held out a bite of salad.

When they were finished, Elliot grinned and leaned back in his seat. "You know, this was a good weekend."

"It really was," Olivia said with a smile.

Maggie tugged on Olivia's arm. "Livvy, I wanna cookie. Can I have one?"

"Aren't you full, honey?" Olivia asked, pulling Maggie into her lap. "Did you eat all of your mac and cheese?"

Maggie nodded. "I wanna cookie, please?"

"No sweetie, Elliot and I are talking. Why don't you go play with the other kids?"

Maggie pouted. "But I wanna cookie!"

"Maggie," Olivia said sternly. "Whining isn't the way to get what you want. Elliot and I were talking about getting ice cream for you kids, but only if you can be a big girl, okay?"

Maggie perked up slightly at the idea of ice cream. "Can I stay here with you?"

"Sure." Olivia settled Maggie into her lap and began rubbing her back gently as she and Elliot talked.

After a few minutes, Elliot looked at the other kids. "Should we go get ice cream?"

"I'm stuffed but the kids would probably love it. What do you think, Mags?" Olivia asked, glancing down, only to laugh. Maggie had fallen asleep.

"Looks like someone's exhausted," Elliot said, standing up and lifting Jacob's carrier. He helped Olivia to her feet and smiled at the table of their children. "You guys ready for ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Dickie and Brian exclaimed, hurrying out of the booth.

"Can we get Cold Stone?" Lizzie asked, following the boys.

"Whatever you guys want," Elliot said with a smile.

Kathleen glanced at Maggie, cradled in Olivia's arms. "What happened to Maggie?"

"It's been a busy day for a three-year-old," Olivia said, shifting the little girl slightly.

As she did, Maggie opened her eyes. "Livvy?" she mumbled. "Ice cream?"

Everyone laughed as Olivia nodded. "Yep, time for ice cream."

By the time they left the ice cream parlor, Jacob was awake and cooing again and Maggie was all but bouncing off the wall from the sugar.

"She's going to crash hard," Elliot said, watching Maggie chase Lizzie and Kathleen down the sidewalk.

"Hopefully not for another hour or so," Olivia answered. "Brian, don't climb on the flower pots," she added.

"Dickie, same goes," Elliot called. They arrived at the cars and began loading everyone in. Once the kids were settled, Elliot turned to his partner. "Thanks for coming with us today."

Olivia grinned. "We had fun. Thanks for inviting us."

"I'll call you when I drop the kids off?"

"Why don't you wait until Brian and Maggie are in bed? Then we can talk."

"Well I was hoping to wish the kids good luck tomorrow. Why don't I call again after they go to bed?"

"Okay." Olivia glanced at Elliot's lips and blushed. She wanted to kiss him so badly just then, but knew she couldn't in front of the kids. "I'll talk to you later."

"Have a safe drive," Elliot said with a smile.

"You too. I'll talk to you later."

Olivia waved goodbye to Elliot's kids one more time and climbed into her car. When she got home, she was too busy getting everything ready for the next day and getting the kids ready for bed to think too much about Elliot. He called to wish Brian and Maggie luck the next day and Olivia made sure to pack the kids' backpacks that night to avoid rushing in the morning. She made Brian and Maggie's lunches and stuck them in the fridge. When the kids had been bathed, stories read, and were tucked into bed, Olivia leaned back against the pillows, exhausted. When the phone rang, she picked it up tiredly.

"Hey there," she said softly. "You got the kids home okay?"

"Yep. They said to tell you bye and that they had fun this weekend. Katie especially. She wants to know when she can baby-sit."

Olivia laughed. "When I'm ready to call a sitter, she'll be first on my list. Actually, I might have to call her and Maureen, just to avoid a fight."

"True. Hey, are YOU ready for tomorrow?"

Olivia sighed. "I don't know, El. I'm worried about leaving them so soon. And for a whole day."

"Do you want me to come?" Elliot offered gently.

"No, no that's okay. You shouldn't have to come all the way downtown. I'm sure we'll be fine." She smiled softly. "Thank you though."

"No problem. If you decide you want me to come, call me."

"I will," Olivia promised. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yep. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night, El."

*****

Olivia woke up early the next morning, butterflies dancing in her stomach. She showered quickly and got dressed before getting ready to wake the kids up. She walked into Brian's room and gently shook his shoulder.

"Hey buddy," she whispered. "Time to get up for school."

Brian blinked open his eyes. "Are you going to drop me off?"

Olivia nodded. "Yep. And I'll pick you up tonight."

"Promise?"

Olivia made an X over her heart. "Cross my heart. Can you get dressed while I wake Maggie up? Then we can have breakfast."

"Okay."

Olivia kissed the top of Brian's head and left the room to wake up Maggie. She sat on the edge of the little girl's bed and brushed her hair back from her face. "Wake up, Maggie," she whispered softly. "Time to get ready for daycare."

Maggie shook her head and buried her face in her pillow. "No daycare," she mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow.

Olivia sighed. "Come on sweetie, it's time to get up. You'll have so much fun at daycare and you'll meet lots of new friends and sing songs and play games. And before you know it, I'll come pick you up and we'll come home and make dinner and play. Okay?"

"No daycare," Maggie answered.

"But we have a pretty dress all picked out for you," Olivia tried. "And Brian and Jacob will be there with you."

"You too?" Maggie asked, turning her face to the side to look hopefully at Olivia.

"No sweetie. I have to go to work with Elliot. But I'll come pick you up when I'm done working. And we'll have dinner. Maybe Elliot will come over."

"Will he throw me?"

Olivia grinned. "I bet if you asked really nicely he would. Ready to get up now?"

"Can Livvy doll come with me?"

"Of course she can. And I bet your Livvy doll will have a lot of fun at daycare with you." Olivia helped Maggie out of bed and into the navy blue jumper with pink flowers, pink turtleneck, and white tights. As she brushed Maggie's hair into pigtails, Olivia watched their reflection in the mirror. "Are you ready, sweetie?"

Maggie shook her head and followed Olivia into her room where Olivia dressed Jacob for the day and double checked the diaper bag to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

After breakfast, Olivia loaded the kids into the car and drove them first to the elementary school. She walked around the front of the car and crouched in front of Brian. "You're going to do great, buddy. Your lunch is in your backpack and remember, you're going to daycare after school. I'll pick you up there after work, around 5:30, okay?"

Brian nodded, nerves clear in his eyes. "What if I get sick?"

"Then the school nurse will call me and I'll come get you."

"What if you forget me?" Brian asked softly.

Olivia reached out and drew Brian into a hug. "I won't forget you, Bri. I could never do that."

"I love you," Brian said, hugging her tightly for a second.

"I love you, too." Olivia released him and smiled. "I'll see you tonight, okay? You'll be fine."

Brian nodded and started walking towards the building. About halfway up the walk, he turned and waved once before hurrying up the steps.

Olivia waited until he was in the door before climbing back in the car. "Ready to go to daycare, Maggie?" she asked, glancing in the review mirror.

Maggie shook her head. "Wanna stay with you, Livvy."

Olivia smiled. "I wish you could, honey. But Elliot and I have to work and it's not a very fun place for little girls. You'll have much more fun at daycare, playing and meeting new friends."

Maggie didn't say anything, but didn't look convinced. When they arrived at the daycare, Olivia left Jacob in the infant room with a kiss and promised that she'd come get him in a few hours. She knew that Jacob was too little to understand but the promise made her feel better at least.

After dropping Jacob off, Maggie had lifted her arms to Olivia, wanting to be carried. Olivia picked her up and Maggie latched tightly onto her neck. When they entered the preschool room, the teacher walked up to them and smiled.

"Hi, Maggie. I'm Mrs. Johnson. I'm going to be your teacher. We're so excited to have you here."

Maggie responded by wrapping her legs tighter around Olivia's waist and burying her face in Olivia's shoulder. Olivia rubbed her back gently and handed Maggie's backpack to the teacher. "Her lunch is in here, so is her doll. I'll be back around 5:30 to pick them up."

"That's fine. We're going to have lots of fun today."

Olivia nodded and tried to pry Maggie from around her neck. "I have to go to work now, sweetie. I'll be back after nap time, okay? And we'll go home and you can tell me all about all the fun things you did today."

Maggie shook her head, tears wetting Olivia's shirt. "No. Don't wanna. Go with you, Livvy."

Olivia sighed. "Honey we've talked about this. You're going to stay here and play while I'm at work. And when you wake up from your nap, Brian will be here. Can you be a big girl and let go for me?"

Maggie shook her head again, holding on tighter. Olivia reached up and gently pried her hands apart with one hand, passing her to the teacher. "Be a good girl for Mrs. Johnson and I'll see you soon, okay?"

Mrs. Johnson took Maggie who began to cry harder. "NO! Livvy don't go!"

Olivia leaned over and kissed her gently. "I love you, Maggie and I'll be back before you know it."

"LIVVY! I WANNA GO TO!" Maggie started screaming as Olivia began walking towards the door, waving as she went.

"Bye Maggie! I love you!"

"LIVVY DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Maggie wailed. "LIVVY! NOOOOOOOOO!"

Olivia pushed her way out the front door, tears threatening to fall. She felt as if a weight was pressing on her chest and she couldn't breathe. The sounds of Maggie's screams kept echoing in her ears. As she walked quickly towards the car, her head bent to hide the tears that were getting harder and harder to hold back, she ran head on into someone in front of her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled as she stumbled backwards.

"It's okay," a familiar voice said as hands came up to cup her arms, catching her.

Olivia looked up into familiar blue eyes which reflected worry. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly, trying to battle the tears which blurred her vision.

"I thought you might need a little emotional support," Elliot responded softly, pulling her into a hug. "How hard was it?"

"She was screaming, El. Screaming her little heart out for me. And poor Brian looked so brave but his eyes were so scared. I don't think I can do this. It's too soon for me to leave them. They've been through so much," Olivia whispered.

Elliot rocked slightly, rubbing his hands up and down her back. "They'll be fine, Liv. Brian's tough, he'll be fine. He'll love school."

"He asked me if I would forget him," she sniffed miserably. "And what would happen if he got sick."

"You're the first person who's ever taken care of him, Olivia. You're the first real mom he's had. He's still getting used to it."

"I can still hear Maggie screaming in my head. She sounded like she was being tortured! She just kept crying for me…"

"I know," Elliot whispered soothingly. "It's just a little separation anxiety. Wait, tonight you'll go to pick her up and she'll have had a great time."

"You didn't hear her. It's too soon to leave her, to leave any of them."

"I know it is. But eventually you would have to. And the sooner you can get them settled into a regular routine, the easier it'll be for everyone."

"But Jacob's so young. And Maggie needs me. I didn't expect it to be so hard."

Elliot smiled slightly and kissed the top of her head. "I know. Trust me, I know. Why don't we give Maggie a few hours, then call daycare and see how she's doing?"

"Can't I just go back in and get them for one more day?" Olivia asked hopefully, raising her brown eyes to meet Elliot's blue ones.

Elliot shook his head sorrowfully. "Even if you did, it would just make tomorrow that much harder." He shifted slightly, leading her towards her car. "Come on, Liv. Let's head to the office. The sooner we start work, the sooner you can come back and get them. It'll make time pass faster. I swear."

Olivia nodded and handed him the keys to her car, knowing she was too shaky to drive. Only then did she look around. "Where's your car though?"

Elliot unlocked the passenger side door and opened it for her. "I took a cab this morning." He smiled. "I had a feeling you might be too shaky for driving."

Olivia smiled and kissed him gently. "Thank you for being so wonderful."

"I promised I'd be here for you," Elliot smiled, kissing her back. "And I don't intend to break that promise."

Olivia blushed slightly with pleasure as Elliot helped her into the car. He shut her door and climbed into the driver's seat. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Are you propositioning me, Ms. Benson?"

Olivia laughed. "While I would love to…I was actually wondering if you'd want to come over for dinner. The kids would love to see you. And…and I kind of told Maggie you would."

Elliot grinned. "That sounds good. Do you want me to come with you to pick them up or meet you at your place?"

"You can come with me to pick them up, if you want."

"Sounds like a plan." After a few minutes, he reached over to link hands with her. "They'll be okay, Liv. You guys will get through this."

Olivia smiled thankfully at him and squeezed his hand.

When they arrived at the office, Munch looked up and smirked. "It's about time you decided to join us," he teased Olivia. "We thought you'd decided to become a stay at home mom."

Olivia laughed. "And miss all of this? Not a chance."

"How are the munchkins?" Munch asked.

"They're called children," Fin said, rolling his eyes. "Munchkins are what yours will be called. God forbid."

"They're good," Olivia said with a warm smile. "Brian's at school and Maggie and Jacob are at daycare."

"How did the meeting with the caseworker go?" Fin asked, propping his feet on his desk.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "He finally admitted that there was no reason the kids shouldn't stay with me. But he was a pompous prick. I have to call children's services a request a new caseworker. He was condescending and the kids hated him."

Fin nodded. "Okay," he said, nodding.

"You know, they do that on purpose," Munch said, leaning back in his chair.

Olivia looked up from the papers she was looking through on her desk, trying to find the number for DCFS. "Who do what on purpose?"

"DCFS. They hate cops, they think we get in their way, so…"

"Okay, thanks John, I'll keep that in mind," Olivia interrupted.

"You didn't hear my whole argument," Munch grumbled.

"I know and while I'd love to hear it, I just found the number and I have to get to work."

After securing a new caseworker and setting up a meeting with her the next week, Olivia and Elliot spent the morning on a rape case that had come in the night before. At 11:30, Olivia finally had time to call the daycare. Olivia took a deep breath to quell the nerves in her stomach before someone answered.

"Yes, this is Olivia Benson, Brian, Maggie, and Jacob Allen's foster mother. I'm calling to see how the kids are doing."

"Ah, first time away from them?" the woman asked and Olivia could hear the smile in her voice.

"Yeah."

"Well Jacob's fine. He's having lunch right now. He's a good little eater."

"Yes he is. How's Maggie?" The ball of fear in Olivia's stomach had only dissolved slightly. She'd had very little doubt that Jacob would do well. At two months, he was too little for separation anxiety.

The woman on the other end sighed. "She's napping right now."

Olivia blinked. "Napping? She usually doesn't nap until after lunch." At the worry in her voice, Elliot looked up, concern evident on his face.

"She cried herself to sleep about half an hour ago."

"Oh," Olivia said softly. "She's been crying this whole time?"

"Don't worry, Ms. Benson," the woman said soothingly. "We see this all the time with children their first day. I'm sure when she wakes up, she'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll call again this afternoon, maybe talk to her?"

"That wouldn't be such a good idea, Ms. Benson. Hearing you but not having you here would only make the transition more difficult. It's not unusual for children Maggie's age to have problems when their parents leave. I promise we'll call you if anything happens you should know about."

"Can I call to check up?" Olivia asked, not quite sure she was ready to let go completely.

"Of course. I wish all parents were as concerned as you."

When Olivia hung up the phone, she was met by the worried looks of not only her partner, but also Munch, Fin, and Cragen.

"Maggie okay?" Elliot asked gently.

"She cried herself to sleep half an hour ago."

Cragen smiled gently. "Why don't you and Elliot take off around 4:30 today? Go pick up the kids?"

"Me too, Cap?" Elliot asked, surprised.

"I thought you might want to see how the kids handled school and daycare."

Elliot grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem. But if you're leaving early, try to get somewhere with the Martin case. Okay?"

"Got it," Olivia said with a smile.

At 3:45, Olivia called the daycare again. Maggie had stopped crying after her nap but instead was sitting in a corner, holding her Cinderella doll, and refusing to interact with anyone. When she hung up, still upset, Cragen walked out of the office. "Benson, Stabler, a girl just came into St. Joseph's, raped. Be careful, the girl's only 12."

"Twelve?" Olivia asked as she grabbed her coat. "Schools just let out."

"She was raped in a bathroom," Cragen answered soberly. "Her name's Valerie Bowmen."

"Christ," Elliot cursed, grabbing his jacket and keys.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dr. DelAmico walked up to the detectives. "Detective Benson. How are the kids doing?"

Olivia smiled. "Good. They're in school today. Are you Valerie Bowmen's doctor?"

Anna nodded. "She's pretty fragile right now."

Elliot nodded. "Physically, how's she doing?"

"She has a broken hand and wrist, on the same side and a few bruises on her face. There's some trauma from the rape, of course." Anna paused. "From what she's told me, the sex bracelets started it."

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, eyes narrowing. "Sex bracelets?"

Anna nodded. "Cheap rubber bracelets, like from the 80's. They sell like 20 for a dollar. Each color represents a different sex act, from kissing to sex and everything in between."

"And they represent how many a girl has done?" Elliot asked, surprised.

"Not exactly. A girl buys them and wears them. Then a guy comes up and breaks one off. Whatever color he breaks off, she has to do the act that the color represents."

Olivia and Elliot stared at Anna in shock. "How popular are these bracelets?" Olivia asked.

"Very. Since the fad started, we've seen an increase in STD's among 11 to 14 year olds of about 5%."

"Jeez," Elliot said softly, his mind going to Lizzie. "And it's in every school?"

"Pretty much. Public and private."

Olivia sighed. "We'd better get in there."

"Good luck," Anna answered.

Olivia knocked on the door and stuck her head in. "Valerie? My name's Olivia. I'm a detective. Can my partner and I come in and talk to you about what happened?"

The girl nodded and Olivia and Elliot entered. Valerie was sitting up in the hospital bed. She looked up shyly, her big brown eyes taking nervous survey of the detectives.

Olivia smiled comfortingly. "Valerie, this is my partner Elliot. Can you tell us what happened today?"

Valerie blushed and looked down at the blankets. "Are you going to call my parents?"

Olivia nodded. "Dr. DelAmico will take care of that."

"Do you have to?"

"I'm sorry honey," Olivia said gently. "But we have to. Now Elliot and I are going to do everything we can to find the person who hurt you. But first, you need to tell us everything you can."

Valerie looked nervously at Elliot. Olivia caught his eye and nodded. Elliot wandered to the corner of the room and Olivia smiled. "It's okay Valerie, you can tell me."

"It's my fault," Valerie said softly. "I didn't know what they meant. I just thought they were a new trend. When he broke it off, I just thought he was being mean."

"When did this happen?" Olivia asked gently.

Valerie took a deep breath and sighed. "After fifth period. The rule is, if a guy breaks one off, you have to do the thing by the end of the day. I tried to laugh it off and tell him that I didn't want to do that. He got really mad, said that I had to. I stayed away from him until study hall. It's at the end of the day, everyone has it at the same time. I had to go to the bathroom. When I was washing my hands, another girl came in. She said that I'd ruined the game and made everyone look bad. Then a bunch of guys came in. They locked the door and held me down. He pulled down my pants and then he," Valerie stopped, tears pouring down her face.

"Valerie, do you know the names of the girl and boys in the bathroom?" Olivia asked softly.

Valerie nodded. "But I don't want them to get in trouble. If I wasn't going to do it, then I shouldn't have worn the bracelet. I deserved it."

"Oh no, honey," Olivia reached out and covered Valerie's hand with her own. "Valerie, listen to me. What those kids did to you was very wrong. No one should force you to do something like that if you don't want to. And they need to be punished. What they did is a crime. They forced you to do something you didn't want to do."

Valerie paused. "Will they know I told you?"

Olivia nodded. "But you'll be safe. I promise."

Valerie sighed and gave her a list of five names. Olivia reached in her pocket and pulled out a card. "This is my business card. It has my work phone number, my pager number, and my home phone number on it. If you or your parents have any questions or need anything, call me, anytime, okay?"

Valerie nodded slowly. After talking to her parents and promising to do everything they could to help her, Elliot and Olivia went back to the precinct. They called Casey to meet them and Olivia glanced nervously at the clock. It was 5:00 already and she'd hoped to pick the kids up at 5:30. She didn't want to betray the kids' trust by being late.

Casey was already at the station when they got there. Briefing didn't take long and Casey wanted to wait until they had DNA results back from the rape kit before they brought the kids in for questioning. Not having anything else they could do on the case until the next day, Olivia and Elliot left for the day.

After the third time Elliot cut a turn close, Olivia glanced at her partner worriedly. "You okay, El?"

"Yeah," he said, then started swearing at a cab driver.

"Look, I know the kids get to you."

"She's only a year older than Lizzie is. Next year, Lizzie and Dickie will be in junior high with those sex bracelet things. How do kids come up with these things?"

"I don't know," Olivia answered honestly. "I remember wearing bracelets like those when they were first popular. But they didn't mean anything sexual. Don't worry about Lizzie. She's too independent and stubborn to get involved in something as stupid as sex bracelets."

"Valerie is a good kid, Liv. If she got involved in them…"

"You also have the advantage of knowing about them and what they mean. The only reason that kids get away with them is that their parents don't know, they think they're just bracelets."

Elliot nodded as they pulled into the daycare. "How do you think the kids did today?"

"The word 'disaster' comes to mind. At least for Maggie and maybe Brian."

Elliot squeezed her hand gently. "In that case, we'd better go spring them."

Elliot and Olivia stopped in the infant room to pick up Jacob. He cooed happily as Olivia cuddled him and nuzzled his neck. When they walked into the school-aged kids' room, Brian looked up and grinned.

"Hi, Olivia!" he exclaimed, racing over for a hug. "Hi, Elliot!"

"Hey, Brian," Olivia said, hugging him to her. "How was school?"

"It was okay."

"Are the kids in your class nice?"

Brian nodded. "Yeah. We had gym class today. Hey, is Elliot staying for dinner?"

"I sure am," Elliot said with a grin. "And Olivia and I can't wait to hear all about it. But let's get home, okay? Do you have much homework?"

"Math and social studies and reading."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Olivia said with a smile. "Let's go pick up Maggie and go home."

Olivia walked into the preschool room and looked around. She saw Maggie, curled up in a beanbag chair, holding her doll and staring at the floor, looking completely miserable and alone. Olivia felt her heart break, but smiled gently. "Maggie," she called softly.

Maggie's blonde head snapped up and she looked quickly around the room. As soon as she saw Olivia, her eyes grew wide and a huge smile broke out on her face. "LIVVY!" she shrieked joyfully as she leapt up and raced towards her.

Olivia squatted down and caught Maggie in her arms, standing and hugging her tightly. "Hi, little girl," she whispered.

"Misseded you, Livvy. Don't go." Maggie said as she clung to Olivia's neck.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie. What did you do today?"

"Nothing," Maggie answered softly.

"Nothing?" Olivia asked, her eyebrows arching. "You didn't sing songs or do crafts or play with the other little girls?"

Maggie shook her head and Olivia raised her eyes to Mrs. Johnson. "Maggie honey, can you go to Elliot so Livvy can talk to Mrs. Johnson?" Olivia asked.

Maggie shook her head. "I want you, Livvy."

Olivia sighed. "Okay. Maybe Elliot and Brian can get your coat and backpack ready for us?"

Elliot nodded. "You sure you don't want to come with us, Maggie Mae?"

Maggie shook her head. "Wanna stay with Livvy."

Olivia walked over to the teacher and raised an eyebrow dangerously. "She didn't do anything all day?"

"Forcing children to participate usually only backfires. We'll try again tomorrow, right Maggie?"

Maggie shook her head, "No. I'm gonna stay with Livvy." She lifted her face enough to look at Olivia. "I'm hungry, Livvy."

"Didn't you have a snack, sweetheart?" Maggie shook her head. "So the last time you ate was lunch?"

Maggie shook her head again. "No lunch."

"Why didn't you eat lunch, baby?"

"I misseded you." Maggie answered simply.

"Maggie, even if you miss me, you need to eat lunch. If you don't, how can you grow up to be big and strong?" Maggie shrugged and Olivia sat down, Maggie on her lap, facing her. "Okay sweetie. You need to eat your lunch. How about if I call at lunch time and then you can eat your lunch, okay? Then it'll be like I'm here."

Maggie thought about that for a minute. "I don't wanna come back tomorrow, Livvy. I wanna stay with you an' Elliot."

"I know you want to stay with me. But remember what I told you about work being no fun for kids?" Maggie nodded. "It's also not always safe for kids. Sometimes, Elliot and I have to go chase down the bad guys and I don't want you to get hurt."

"You gonna get hurt, Livvy?" Maggie asked worriedly.

"I'm going to try very hard not to get hurt. And Elliot and I protect each other and keep each other safe."

"Me too," Maggie said, snuggling into Olivia's arms.

"That's right, Elliot and I are going to protect you and keep you safe too." Olivia stood up. What do you say to going home and making dinner?"

"Can I have a snack?" Maggie asked, hopefully.

"Sure. Let's get home." Olivia stood and took Maggie's coat from Elliot, wrapping it around the little girl's shoulders. Olivia carried Maggie to the car while Elliot carried Jacob. Brian bounced along between the adults, telling them all about his day at school.

When they arrived home, Maggie still refused to let go of Olivia's neck. Olivia managed to wiggle out of her coat, with Elliot's help, and looked down at Brian. "Okay, why don't you bring your homework and do it at the kitchen table? That way I'm right here if you need help."

"Okay," Brian said, dragging his backpack into the kitchen and pulling out his book.

By the time she finally got the kids into bed, and Maggie unglued from her side, Olivia was exhausted. She lifted Jacob into her arms and carried him into the kitchen. While she heated his bottle, Elliot wrapped his arms around her. "Finally," he whispered, kissing the back of her neck.

Olivia felt heat pool in her belly and her knees grow week as Elliot's hand slid under her shirt and stroked across her bare skin. She turned around, Jacob nestled in between them, and raised on her tiptoes to meet his lips with hers. Her right hand snaked up to stroke the back of his neck as his arms wrapped around her, sliding up her back. Olivia opened her mouth, allowing Elliot's tongue to enter and brush teasingly over hers before beginning to dance back and forth. Elliot pulled back slightly and rained kisses along her jaw line when Jacob let out an unhappy cry.

Olivia pulled back, face flushed. "I…uh…he's hungry."

Elliot leered at her. "He's not the only one."

Olivia blushed more. "Not with Jacob in the room. I…just couldn't."

"I know," Elliot said softly, turning off the burner as Olivia removed the bottle from the pan. "I wasn't asking you to." Elliot linked hands with her as they walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, Olivia leaning against his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist.

As Jacob began eating hungrily, Olivia looked up at Elliot and smiled. "Thank you for not pushing me. I don't want to ruin this by rushing it."

"I understand," Elliot said, kissing her cheek gently. "I don't mind taking it slow with you, Liv. I want to do this right with you. I want to take you on dates, woo you."

"You want to woo me?" Olivia asked, tilting her head back, a look of amusement on her face.

Elliot blushed. "Yeah. I want this to be a real relationship, not just sex."

"I want that too," she said, smiling shyly. "I've just never had anyone…woo me."

"That's their loss," Elliot said softly. "And my gain."

Olivia smiled. "It just so happens I consider myself pretty lucky to have you, too." They lapsed into silence until Olivia shifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp him. Elliot walked with her upstairs to put the baby down and smiled when he saw how natural Olivia looked laying Jacob down for bed and kissing him goodnight.

When they were back in the living room, Olivia nestled in his arms, she looked up at him. "Brian seems happy about school."

Elliot nodded. "I think he missed it. What are you going to do about Maggie?"

"I wish I knew," Olivia answered softly. "Maybe it'll just take her a few days to get used to it."

"I hope so. I think she's just afraid of new things."

Olivia smiled gently. "I'll figure something out. You wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure." Elliot put on HBO and halfway through Head of State, he looked down to see that Olivia was sound asleep against his chest. Smiling gently, he turned off the TV and stood, carefully scooping Olivia up in his arms.

He carried her into her room and laid her carefully on her bed. But once she was there, Elliot paused, unsure of himself. He slowly unzipped and removed her black boots, then looked around. He quickly found Olivia's pajamas, but wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, he could change her into her pajamas. It would be more comfortable for her to sleep that way and, to be honest, he would love to see her naked. But on the other hand, stripping her while she was asleep would be taking advantage of her, something he'd never wanted to do and refused to do. Plus, if she woke up while he was changing her, it was very likely that he would lose a very important body part. Elliot finally gave up and tucked her into bed, fully clothed.

He bent and kissed Jacob goodnight one last time before brushing a gentle kiss over Olivia's brow. In her sleep, she smiled softly and snuggled deeper into the blankets, sighing softly. Elliot tiptoed out of the room, leaving the door cracked open for Maggie. He stopped in Maggie's room, tucked her Livvy doll under her arm, pulled her blankets up around her shoulders, and kissed her gently. Finally, he walked into Brian's room and bit back a laugh. Brian was sprawled in his bed, blankets tossed off. Elliot untangled him, repositioned his left arm and leg that were hanging off the side of the bed, and tucked him back in. Before leaving the room, Elliot kissed Brian's forehead gently. He left the house quietly, locking the door behind him, and felt like he was leaving part of his heart behind.

*****

Olivia arrived at work the next morning looking emotionally drained and it was only 8:30. Elliot looked up from his desk as she sat down. "Daycare didn't go well, did it?"

Olivia shook her head. "Maggie started crying in the car this time. If anything, it was worse."

"Well you better have some coffee and regroup. Michael Pauly and his parents will be here in fifteen minutes."

Olivia sighed. "Great." She stood up and poured herself a mug of coffee. Before sitting down, she removed the file from Elliot's desk and began reading it over. "Pauly's the kid Valerie said broke the bracelet in the first place?"

Elliot nodded. "He's coming with both parents and a lawyer."

"Shit."

"Yep. Hopefully, we can get the other kids to implicate him in their interviews."

Twenty minutes later, Elliot and Olivia were sitting in the interrogation room, staring at a twelve year old boy. "Do you know why you're here?" Elliot asked.

Michael nodded. "Valerie's in the hospital."

"Can you tell us what happened yesterday?"

"You don't have to answer that," the lawyer said.

Elliot raised an eyebrow at the lawyer. "He's already been identified by the victim. What we want to know is his side."

The lawyer let out a dry laugh. "Right. So you can get a confession and get this one off your desk? I didn't graduate law school last week."

Olivia barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "We already have evidence. Valerie's identification is enough to get a warrant for a DNA test. We want to know how much of a part Michael played."

The lawyer looked at Michael and nodded. Michael took a breath, then spoke. "Valerie's really pretty. And built. I wanted to get with her. When she wore those bracelets, I figured it was a sign. So I broke the black one. Then she started saying that she didn't want to, she didn't know what they meant, stuff like that. Whatever, everyone knew what they meant. And if she didn't, then she shouldn't have worn them. If a guy breaks a bracelet it's like a promise. Valerie tried to break that promise."

"What happened in the bathroom?" Elliot asked.

"I told my friends what she did. First Melanie followed her into the girls' bathroom. She let us in. Then Frank, David, and Phil held her down and I took my payment. It's only fair."

Elliot leaned forward menacingly. "Do you know what rape is, Michael?" The boy nodded. "Do you understand that what you did is rape?"

Michael shook his head. "She was supposed to. It was her fault."

Olivia leaned forward, taking her good cop role from Elliot's bad cop. "Whose idea was it, Michael?"

"Kind of everyone's. Well not Melanie's. She's Frank's girlfriend. We needed a girl to go into the bathroom first, so we asked her. But we were talking about it at lunch and it just kind of…happened."

A knock on the window interrupted them and Elliot and Olivia stood up, leaving the room. Casey was waiting outside. "We've got enough to indict him between Valerie's statement and Michael's. After you finish interviewing the kids, we can start work on the indictment. I'd also like you to talk to Valerie one more time."

"Got it," Olivia said.

"Self-important little prick," Elliot grumbled.

The next student to come in was Melanie. The girl sat in the interrogation room, her parents on either side of her. She was dressed in jeans and a blue t-shirt, her dark hair falling in front of her face as she stared at the table. She was a sharp contrast to the Abercrombie clothes and upper-middle class feeling of the other students, clearly rougher around the edges than her classmates.

Elliot and Olivia walked into the room and sat across from her. Elliot leaned forward intensely. "Melanie, do you know why you're here?"

Melanie nodded. "Valerie's in the hospital."

"Are you and Valerie friends?"

Melanie shrugged. "I know her, she's in my homeroom and social studies and math classes. We're not really close though."

"Do you know why she's in the hospital?"

"The school counselor said she was raped."

"Do you know what that means?" Elliot asked gently.

Melanie shook her head.

"Do you know what sex is?" Elliot asked.

"Of course," Melanie said, a hint of frustration in her voice. "I've had sex ed every year since fifth grade."

"Rape," Olivia said harshly, "is when a guy forces a girl to have sex against her will."

"Oh," Melanie said softly, looking at the table again.

"Now, we've heard from two different people that you were involved. Do you want to tell us what happened yesterday?" Olivia asked.

Melanie looked guiltily at her parents, then back at the detectives. "Frank, my boyfriend, just asked me to knock on his homeroom door when she went to the bathroom and then to go in and make sure that there wasn't anyone else in there. Michael broke a sex bracelet off Valerie's arm and she wasn't going to do it. I thought they were just going to yell at her for breaking the rules, I swear. I didn't think they'd do that. I heard her yelling and banging and I went back to my homeroom."

"You knew a girl was in there alone with four boys, heard yelling and banging, and didn't go in to help?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"You don't understand," Melanie exclaimed. "If I didn't do it, Frank would have broken up with me! I'm lucky that he's with me, he's popular and hot! He's so sweet to me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

"So you let a classmate be attacked and raped instead," Olivia sneered. "That's a much better choice than losing a junior high boyfriend."

"I didn't know they were going to do that!" Melanie shouted, tears running down her face. "I wouldn't have helped them if I did!"

On Thursday, Elliot and Olivia were in a sedan, driving to scope out a restaurant where a woman had been raped. Elliot glanced at Olivia and smiled. "Is 9:00 a good time for me to come by for dinner?"

"Dinner?" Olivia asked. "We usually eat earlier than 9:00, in case you haven't noticed. The kids are in bed by then."

Elliot laughed, reaching over to twine his fingers with hers. "That's kind of the point, Liv. Or have you forgotten about our date?"

She shook her head quickly. "Of course not! You haven't mentioned it though so I thought you'd changed your mind."

"Never," Elliot answered with a grin. "I just thought you had enough to worry about with the kids' first week of school and daycare. But are we still on?"

Olivia smiled and squeezed his hand. "Why don't we make it 9:30?"

"That sounds perfect. What do you want me to bring?"

"Bring?" Olivia asked, confused.

"That was part of the deal. You provide the house, I provide the food. That way you don't have to cook."

"I guess we haven't had Italian in awhile," Olivia said with a smile. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good."

*****

By the end of the week, Casey had indicted all five kids in Valerie's rape case. Brian had a great week at school and loved it. However, Maggie hadn't warmed up to daycare in the least. She still sobbed everyday when Olivia left and refused to play with any of the other kids. At night, when Olivia picked them up, Brian was bubbling over with excitement about what had happened at school that day, Jacob would coo contentedly when she cradled him to her, and Maggie attached herself to Olivia. As the week had progressed, Maggie had only become clingier. She refused to let Olivia out of her sight, wouldn't go to sleep unless Olivia was in the room, and had started crying when they got in the car every morning. Thursday night, Olivia had woken up at one point to find Maggie curled next to her in bed.

Elliot had joined them for dinner almost every night that week. He'd become ingrained in their nightly routine, working as a team with Olivia until Maggie and Brian were tucked into bed and Jacob was sleeping soundly, at least until his next feeding. Then he and Olivia would watch TV or talk until he went home and Olivia tucked herself into bed, wishing he was there with her.

When Olivia went to the daycare to pick up the kids on Friday, she found Jacob fussing in the infant room. "Hey big boy," she cooed, lifting him into her arms and nuzzling his neck. Jacob immediately quieted and she smiled. "That's my boy," she said, gathering his diaper bag and carrier into her arms.

Her next stop was the school children's room. She was surprised to find Brian sitting at a table, bent over his homework. He was usually playing with some of the other kids when she got there. "Hey, Bri," she said, walking up.

"Hi," he said, looking up with a smile.

"You ready to go home?"

"Yep," Brian said, hugging her before he started gathering his things.

"Why are you doing homework already?" Olivia asked as they left the elementary school room.

Brian shrugged. "I dunno."

"How was school?"

"Okay," he answered, but didn't volunteer any more information.

Olivia nodded, a bit confused by Brian's reticence. They walked into the preschool room and a little blonde blur came racing towards them, attaching herself to Olivia's leg.

"LIVVY!" Maggie squealed. "You came back!"

"Just like I always will," Olivia said, squatting to hug her tightly. "What did you do today?"

"Nothing," Maggie answered, just as she had everyday that week.

Olivia raised an eyebrow at the teacher who nodded. Olivia sighed and stroked a hand over Maggie's hair. "Let's go home, sweetie. You ready?"

Maggie nodded furiously. "Yeah. I wanna go home."

When they arrived home, Brian was still being far quieter than normal. Maggie clung to Olivia as she opened the door, juggling the little girl, Jacob, the diaper bag, and Maggie's backpack. Brian followed her in and toed off his shoes before taking his backpack upstairs. Olivia watched him go, a frown appearing on her face.

"Maggie, what do you say you play upstairs for a little bit while I talk to Brian?"

"I wanna come too," Maggie said, wrapping her arms and legs tighter around Olivia.

Olivia sighed and managed to put the diaper bag and back pack down. She carried Maggie and Jacob up the stairs, settling Jacob into the porta-crib to finish his nap before she walked into Maggie's room. "Mags, you have to let go, just for a little bit, honey. I'll be right in Brian's room, okay?"

Maggie shook her head. "You'll go away."

Olivia sighed. "No sweetheart. I'll be right in Brian's room, I promise. If you need me, I'll come right away. How about this, you bring some toys and you can wait outside Brian's room for me."

Maggie paused, then nodded. Once Olivia had gotten Maggie settled in the hallway, she knocked on Brian's door. "Brian? Honey, can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Olivia opened the door and found Brian sitting on the bed, staring into space. She sat down next to him and smiled. "What's going on?"

Brian sighed. "Alex invited me to come over next weekend and ride bikes."

Olivia smiled. "Well that sounds fun. Is Alex in your class?"

Brian nodded. "He's really nice. He said that you should call his mom to set it up."

"That's really exciting, Bri. What's wrong though?"

Brian looked at Olivia, then down at his bedspread. "I don't know how to ride a bike," he whispered.

Olivia sighed and wrapped an arm around Brian's shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "That's okay Brian. We'll teach you to ride a bike."

"In a week?" he asked doubtfully.

"Look how quickly you picked up roller blading," Olivia pointed out. "Tomorrow, you and Maggie and Jacob and I will go to the park and we'll teach you."

"Elliot too?" Brian asked hopefully.

"I'll have to ask him," Olivia answered.

"Do you know how to ride a bike?" Brian asked softly.

Olivia chuckled. "Well it's been a few years since I had to, but I used to."

Brian grinned and wrapped his arms around Olivia tightly. "Thanks, Olivia. Can you call Alex's mom? He gave me his phone number."

"I'll call while I'm making dinner, how's that?"

"That's good." Brian paused. "Do you have a bike that I can use?"

Olivia laughed. "No, honey. But we'll figure something out."

"Can we start tomorrow?"

"Bright and early," Olivia agreed. She took a deep breath. She hadn't mentioned anything to Brian or Maggie about her date with Elliot to avoid them either worrying about her being away for a night, or getting ideas about the relationship being more than it was. "Maggie, honey can you come in here?" she called.

Maggie hurried into the room and climbed into Olivia's lap. "You done, Livvy?"

Olivia nodded. "Kind of. I need to talk to you and Brian about something."

"What's wrong?" Brian asked, worriedly.

"Oh, nothing's wrong," Olivia assured him, wrapping an arm around the little boy and drawing him close. "Tonight, after you guys go to bed, what would you think about me having Elliot over for dinner?"

Brian sighed sadly. "That's okay. I'll take care of Maggie and Jacob."

"What?" Olivia asked, confused. "Oh no, honey, that's not what I meant. You guys will be sleeping."

"Why?" Maggie asked, cuddling closer and wrapping her arms around Olivia's neck.

"Well Elliot and I are very good friends and sometimes we like to have dinner together."

"That's okay," Brian said. "How come we can't have dinner with you and Elliot? Doesn't he like us anymore?"

"Of course he likes you Brian!" Olivia exclaimed, gathering him closer. "It's just, sometimes grownups like to have dinner by themselves."

"Okay," Brian said, snuggling closer. "We'll be good."

"I knew you would be," Olivia said, kissing the top of his head.

"Will it be like a date?" Brian asked, hopefully.

Olivia paused, not wanting to get Brian's hopes up. "Elliot and I have dinner a lot, honey. Let's just say it's two very good friends having dinner, okay?"

"Okay."

"What about you, Maggie Mae? Are you going to be okay?"

"No throwing?"

"Not tonight, no. But I bet Elliot will throw you sometime this weekend."

"Love you, Livvy," Maggie said softly.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Now why don't we go get dinner?"

"Are you eating with us, too?" Brian asked, looking up at Olivia.

"No, but I'll make dinner and sit with you guys."

"Okay," Brian said, then grinned. "Can we order pizza?"

"How about pizza tomorrow night? Chicken and pasta tonight."

That night, Olivia tucked Brian and Maggie into bed before she started to get ready. She jumped in the shower and dried and styled her hair as quickly as she could. After putting her make-up on, Olivia stood in her bra and panties in front of the closet, surveying the contents. What did one wear on a date with her partner? Especially an incredibly sexy partner who she'd had feelings for since the first day she met him and she's recently begun a relationship with.

When she finally found an outfit, after trying on almost everything she owned, Olivia finally managed to get dressed. As she was buckling her shoes, strappy black heels, Jacob let out an impatient cry. She smiled and lifted the baby into her arms. As she prepared his bottle, Olivia realized that getting spit up on her shirt would put her behind schedule. She laid a burp cloth over her shoulder and sat on the couch, Jacob nestled in her arms and eating hungrily.

As she lifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp, a knocked sounded on the door. She stood carefully and walked towards the door, patting Jacob's back gently. When he let out a loud burp, she laughed. "Oh you've definitely been spending too much time with Elliot."

She opened the door and froze, one hand patting Jacob's back. Her breath caught at the sight of Elliot standing in the doorway, wearing a dark blue shirt and tie with black pants, holding a bag of food in one hand and a bouquet of dark red tulips in the other. "Hi," she finally said softly, marveling at the butterflies which seemed to have invaded her stomach. No, she decided. Butterflies were nowhere near big enough. Eagles, yes, those wings might be big enough to describe how she felt.

"Hey," Elliot said with a grin. "You look great," he added. Great didn't even begin to cover it, he thought to himself.

"So do you," Olivia answered, stepping back to let him in.

Elliot smiled and held out the flowers. "These are for you."

"They're gorgeous." Olivia said, taking the tulips and sniffing them gently.

"Almost as gorgeous as you are," Elliot answered, walking forward and wrapping an arm around her, drawing her close. He kissed her gently and smiled. "How's everything here?"

"Brian and Maggie are in bed. Both were disappointed they were going to miss you, so don't be surprised if we have company at some point tonight. Jacob here is almost ready for bed."

"Great. I'll take the food into the kitchen, then we can go put him down."

Olivia nodded and followed him into the kitchen where she filled a vase with water and placed the tulips on them, in the center of the table with a smile. "These are perfect," she said, looking back at Elliot. "The table was missing something and I didn't know what."

"It looks great," Elliot assured her with a smile. The flowers were flanked by two white pillar candles and the kitchen lights had been dimmed. "Is the little one ready to go down?"

Olivia nodded and felt chills rush through her body, followed by a pooling of heat in her belly when Elliot rested a hand on her lower back as they walked, the same way he had a million times before. They walked together to her bedroom and Elliot bent to kiss Jacob goodnight before Olivia kissed him also and laid him in the portacrib. "Goodnight, Jay Baby. I love you."

They tiptoed out of the room and Elliot saw Olivia glance towards Brian and Maggie's rooms. "You want to check on them, don't you?"

"Do you mind?" Olivia asked.

"Of course not," Elliot smiled.

Olivia cracked the door to Maggie's room open more and stuck her head in. Maggie was sound asleep, curled on her side with her teddy bear and doll clutched in her arms. Olivia and Elliot walked to Brian's room and, finding him asleep also, walked downstairs. Once they were settled at the table, Olivia looked at Elliot, feeling awkward for the first time since she'd met him.

Sensing her nerves, Elliot smiled gently. "What are you thinking?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," Olivia whispered, pushing her eggplant parmesan around her plate.

"Don't lie to me, Olivia," he said firmly. "You suck at it."

"It's just…this," she said, motioning between them. "It's different."

"It's just us, there's nothing to worry about."

Olivia just stared at him for a second. "It's not 'just us,' Elliot. 'Just us' is partners and best friends. This is considerably more. This has expectations and consequences."

Elliot nodded. "You're forgetting something, Liv. This might have consequences, but it also has something else."

"What's that?"

"Potential. This has the potential to make us both very very happy."

"And if it was just me, I wouldn't be worried at all. But it's not just me anymore, Elliot. I have three children to think about. The last thing I can do is start a relationship that might hurt them."

Elliot stared at her in shock. "Do you honestly think I would do anything to hurt those kids? I love them too, Olivia. Just as much as you do." He took a deep breath. It might be a little soon, but Olivia deserved to know where he was heading. "I'm going to be here, for as long as you want me to be."

She smiled tentatively. "I need to warn you, relationships and I don't mix very well."

"I know, but we'll be different."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know the job, I know the hours, and, most importantly, I know you Liv. I know what's going on inside that beautiful head of yours. And I know we can make this work."

Olivia smiled as the butterflies, eagles, whatever, that had been beating against her stomach disappeared. "I want that too."

Elliot grinned. "Good. Now that that's out of the way, how are the kids? Are they looking forward to a weekend without daycare?"

"Maggie is. I'm a little worried that it will make it harder for her to go back on Monday. I might need to figure out something else."

"Why don't we wait until Monday and see?" Elliot suggested gently. "Then, if she still has problems, we'll figure something out. How's Brian liking school?"

Olivia beamed. "He loves it. Actually, he got asked to a friend's house to ride bikes next weekend."

"That sounds fun."

"Except that he's never learned to ride a bike."

"Oh," Elliot paused. "You gonna teach him?"

"I was going to tomorrow." She smiled. "Do you want to join us? I thought I could rent him a bike in Central Park."

"I'd love to help out. What time?"

"I'm not sure, I was going to wait and see what time the kids get up."

"Why don't you give me a call and I'll meet you there? I'll see if I can pick up a bike for Brian."

"Elliot!" Olivia gasped. "You are not going to buy him a bike!"

"I wasn't going to," Elliot laughed, adding a silent yet. "But I think I can borrow one from Dickie. He got a new one for Christmas and the old one is still sitting in the garage."

"If Dickie wouldn't mind, that would be great."

"No problem." Elliot grinned. "I'll even bring one of the tools I used to teach my kids to ride." At Olivia's raised eyebrows, he continued. "It's a broom handle. You attach it to the back of the bike and you can run or walk behind it, holding on. That way, you don't hurt your back bending over."

"Smart." Olivia looked at her plate, then at Elliot's. "You done too?"

Elliot nodded and stood up, gathering his plate, then hers. "Why don't you go into the living room and sit down, while I clean up? Do you want another glass of wine?"

"I'd love another glass of wine, but there's no way I'm letting you clean up everything yourself," Olivia said, standing also.

"I want this to be a real date, Liv."

"I know." Olivia set the bread basket she'd been carrying down on the counter and wrapped her arms around Elliot from behind, resting her cheek against his back. "But it's because of me that we can't have a regular first date."

Elliot turned around and wrapped his arms around Olivia, tipping her chin up so he could look her in the eye. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a perfect first date, Liv. It might not be traditional, but that's okay. You have kids now and they have to come first."

"You're not upset that I wasn't ready to leave them with a sitter yet?"

"Of course not!"

Olivia smiled and rose on her toes slightly to brush her lips across his. "Well I want this to be a regular date for you too. So I'll clean up later."

"I'm not leaving you with a mess, babe," Elliot said, shaking his head.

"Then I'm helping you." Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck, staring into his bright blue eyes. "If this is going to work, it's going to be a partnership. We're equals."

"Sounds just right to me," Elliot responded, bending to catch her lips with his.

When they broke apart, both began cleaning up the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later, they brought their glasses of wine into the living room. Elliot walked over to the stereo and put on a CD he'd brought. When Olivia would have sat down on the couch, Elliot caught her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his right arm around her waist while his left held her hand tightly, their fingers intertwined.

"Dance with me, Olivia," he said softly.

"I'm not any good," she warned, though she wasn't even convincing herself.

"Don't worry about it, just follow my lead and move."

"This isn't a raid," Olivia laughed.

"Either way I've got your back," Elliot answered with a smile. "It's just literal this time."

Olivia blushed and rested her cheek on his shoulder, her nose nuzzling his neck as they swayed slowly back and forth. She smiled as she breathed in his scent and felt him slide a hand under her shirt, gently stroking the bare skin of her back. As the song ended, Olivia straightened and looked at Elliot. "We talked all about my kids, but how are yours?"

Elliot smiled warmly. "Thanks to you, Kathleen's still wearing normal make-up to school. And she's even integrating color into her wardrobe."

Olivia chuckled. "Good. I had a feeling it was just a teenage rebellion."

"Dickie and Lizzie are excited about getting out of elementary school and into middle school next year."

"I bet they're excited."

"The school is having a graduation ceremony and I'd like for you and the kids to be there. It would mean a lot to the twins. And to me."

"That sounds great." Olivia beamed as a warm feeling filled her belly.

The waltz slowed down and as the notes drifted off, Elliot dipped Olivia back, holding her close to him, and brushed his lips over hers. Olivia sighed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. Neither of them saw the little boy watching them from the stairs, wondering if his dreams were going to come true.

An hour later, they finally decided to call it a night. Reluctantly, Elliot and Olivia walked to the door, neither wanting to leave, but both knowing it was too soon. As they walked in front of the stairs, they saw Brian curled up, sound asleep on the steps.

"I'll get him," Olivia whispered, walking forward and bending down.

Elliot rested a hand gently on her lower back, making her pause. "I've got him." He bent down and gathered the little boy into his arms. Olivia walked in front of him up the stairs and quietly opened Brian's door and smoothed back his covers so Elliot could lay her son down. Once he was on the bed, Olivia pulled the covers up around his thin shoulders and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"I love you sweetie," she whispered.

"I love you, Brian," Elliot whispered, kissing him also.

As they tiptoed out of the room, trying not to wake up, a small voice called out, "Love you, 'Livia an' Elliot."

Olivia smiled as she shut the door softly and turned to Elliot. "How much do you think he saw?"

Elliot shrugged. "Enough for him to fall asleep on the stairs. Why?"

"I just…he loves you so much Elliot, I don't want him to get his hopes up and then have them let down."

"Liv," he said softly, taking her hands in his and leading her down the stairs so they could talk without waking up the kids. "I'm not going to disappoint him. Or Maggie and Jacob." He paused. "Or you," he added softly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I just don't know how you can be so certain about this," Olivia whispered.

"I'm not," Elliot said softly. "But I am certain that we're probably two of the most stubborn people alive, and if we make the decision to make this work, then it will."

Olivia smiled and nodded. "I trust you. I'm just not sure I trust myself."

"Well I trust you. And so do three kids who are sound asleep upstairs. It'll be okay Olivia."

"Okay," she said, leaning forward to catch Elliot's lips with hers. "We'll make it work."

*****

The next day Olivia jumped awake at 3:00 in the morning and raced over to Jacob's porta-crib. He hadn't woken up for a middle-of-the-night feeding yet, which was unusual. He'd woken Olivia up every night for the past week and a half at almost exactly 1:00. As she peered over the edge of the crib, Olivia reached a gentle hand down to rest on his tiny back. Feeling it rise up and down slowly, she let out a relieved breath and pressed a kiss to her fingers, then to his cheek.

The next time she woke up was to find Brian standing in her room, staring at her hopefully. "Morning," she mumbled, pushing herself up and running a hand through her hair. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked, glancing at the clock and noticing that it was a little after six.

"Can you teach me how to ride a bike now?" he asked hopefully.

Olivia chuckled. "Why don't you give me a little time to wake up, honey," she patted the bed next to her and smiled when Brian cuddled next to her. "Elliot said he'd come and help me teach you if you want him to."

Brian nodded and looked up at Olivia. "Are you and Elliot going to get married?"

She was only slightly surprised by the question. After finding Brian asleep on the stairs the night before, she'd expected something, just not so early in the morning. "What makes you ask that?" she asked, wondering just how much Brian had seen.

"Because you kissed him last night, and people kiss before they get married."

Olivia smiled at the over-simplified view of relationships. "Well yes, people do kiss before they get married, but people can kiss without getting married."

"So you and Elliot aren't getting married?" Brian sounded disappointed.

"No sweetie, Elliot and I are friends."

"Is it because of us that you're not getting married?" Brian asked softly, tracing patterns on Olivia's quilt.

"What?" Olivia gasped, sincerely shocked as she pulled the little boy into her lap and hugged him tightly. "Of course not honey! Elliot and I both love you very very much. Why do you keep asking about Elliot and I getting married?"

"Because if you got married, then he'll be my dad and we'll be a real family," he answered softly.

"Oh Brian," Olivia whispered as she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. She remembered all too clearly the desperate need for a traditional family. "Baby, we can be family without Elliot and I getting married."

Brian nodded slowly. "My mom said that no one would marry her because they didn't want to deal with another man's brats. Maybe Elliot won't marry you because me and Maggie and Jacob aren't his."

Olivia sighed, not entirely sure how to handle this. "Elliot loves you," she said slowly. "We both love you because of who you are, because you're a wonderful little boy who's smart and loving and is so incredibly strong. And nothing will ever change that." It was what she'd wanted to be told when she was a child and hoped that it would stay with Brian now, no matter what happened.

"I love you too," Brian said, hugging her tightly. "Can we go make breakfast now?"

Olivia laughed. "Sure. Let me grab my robe." She slid her legs out from under the covers as Brian scrambled off the bed. "What do you want today?"

"Can we have scrambled eggs?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure. Why don't you go wake Maggie up and I'll grab Jacob?"

"Okay!" Brian was off like a shot and Olivia laughed softly as she pulled on a robe and lifted Jacob out of the crib. The baby stirred in her arms and blinked his big brown eyes open, staring at her in wonder.

"I bet you're hungry," Olivia cooed softly as she stroked a finger over his cheek. "Well we'll just get you changed and downstairs and then we'll give you a bottle. Sound good?"

Jacob grabbed her finger and held on as she laid him down on the changing pad, cooing gently to him. She was just finishing up resnapping Jacob's onesie when Maggie wrapped an arm around her leg. "No daycare?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"Not today," Olivia answered. "Today we're going to the park with Elliot."

"Is Lizzie an' Dickie an' Reen an' Katie gonna be there?"

"No, not today sweetie. They're with their mommy this weekend. It's just us and Elliot today."

"Okay." Maggie held up her arms hopefully. "Carry me?"

"I can't carry you honey, because I have to carry Jacob." But Olivia crouched down and gathered the little girl into her arms for a hug. "How about you hold my hand? Then you can help me make breakfast when we get downstairs."

"Okay." Maggie held onto her hand and they walked slowly down the stairs to find that Brian had already started getting things out for breakfast.

Olivia helped Brian crack the eggs into a bowl and once he was beating them with a fork and Maggie was making toast, she sat down with Jacob in her arms sucking on a bottle and a phone balanced between her shoulder and ear. She called Elliot and confirmed that they'd meet at the park at 9:30, which would give her time to stop by a store and buy helmets for Brian and Maggie. She wasn't sure why he told her to buy one for Maggie, but he'd refused to tell her.

At 9:20, Olivia was waiting in the park, Brian and Maggie bouncing with excitement at her side while Jacob slept soundly in the carrier against her chest. "Olivia?" Brian asked, tugging gently on her arm. "What if I can't learn how to ride a bike?"

"It might take a little while, but I'm sure you'll be great at it," Olivia said, crouching down to his height. "You did great roller blading last week and you'd never done that before."

"Elliot!" Maggie shrieked excitedly, waving.

Elliot grinned broadly. He couldn't believe how quickly Maggie had warmed up to him. As he arrived at the group, Olivia stared at him in surprise, one hand rubbing Jacob's back unconsciously.

"Elliot, what did you do?" she gasped, staring at the two bikes Elliot had been steering. One was a blue and red mountain bike and the other was a tiny pink and purple bike with training wheels, a basket, and pink and purple streamers coming out of the handles. The mountain bike had a broom handle attached to the back.

"I told you I'd bring Brian a bike."

"Wow, is that for me?" Brian asked, excited.

"Yep. It used to belong to Dickie, but he said you said you could keep it."

"Really? Can I, Olivia?"

"Of course you can," Olivia said with a grin. She loved seeing Brian getting so excited. She glanced at Elliot as Brian studied his bike closely. "And what about the other bike?"

"Maggie needs something to do," he pointed out with a smile. "And I couldn't very well get something for Brian and not for her."

"I suppose I should be happy that you didn't get one for Jacob too," Olivia said with a smile.

"Well he is kind of little for a bike," Elliot answered, pulling a small bag out of his coat pocket. "But he's just about the right age for these."

"Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed, as she took the bag from him and opened it to find five little books.

"Fair is fair, Liv."

"Elliot?" Maggie asked, tugging on his arm. "Is that mine?" she asked, pointing at the little bike.

"It sure is, honey," Elliot said, crouching down to her height. "Do you think you can ride it?"

Maggie nodded slowly. "Can you help me?"

"Livvy and I will take turns helping you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Hey Elliot?" Brian asked. "What's this stick?"

"That's to help Olivia and me help you ride the bike."

Brian's brow furrowed. "Okay."

"You ready to get started?" Olivia asked, ruffling his hair, the placing the helmet on his head and fastening it.

"I guess." Brian climbed slowly onto the bike and stood straddling the bar, his feet resting on the ground. He looked nervously back at Olivia. "How do I get it started?"

She chuckled and took hold of the pole. "Put one foot on the top pedal and push down. Then pick up your other foot and put it on the pedal."

"But if both of my feet are on the pedals, I'm going to fall!"

Olivia bit the inside of her cheek to hold in the laugh. "No you won't I'll hold you up. And to keep from falling, you just need to keep pedaling."

Brian nodded and timidly pushed down on one pedal. He started off shakily, going slowly and wobbling.

"You're doing great," Olivia encouraged, using all of her strength to hold the bike upright. "Why don't we try to pick up a little speed?"

"Are you sure?" Brian called back, gripping the handle bars tightly.

"I'm positive. It'll be much easier to steer."

"Okay," he said, still not sounding completely sure. He tried pedaling faster and Olivia jogged slowly next to him.

"Livvy, lookit me!" Maggie squealed.

"Okay, Bri, let's turn around and head back towards Elliot and Maggie, okay?"

Brian nodded. "How do I stop?" he asked, panic rising in his throat.

"Squeeze the brakes honey, they're on the handle bars."

Brian came to a screeching halt and Olivia had to use both hands to keep him from falling over. "How was that?" he asked hopefully.

"That was great," Olivia said as they turned the bike around. "You did a lot better when you were going faster. And we'll work on stopping, okay?"

"Okay." Brian started pedaling back, picking up speed more quickly this time.

The bouncing caused Jacob to wake up and he let out an unhappy wail. Fortunately Brian stopped soon and Olivia lifted Jacob out of the carrier, cuddling him close as she swayed back and forth. "Sh, sh baby, you're okay. I know you weren't quite ready to wake up yet, were you?"

"Why don't we switch for a little, Liv? I'll take Jacob with me and Maggie?"

"I want Livvy to help me now," Maggie said, climbing off her bike and wrapping her arms around Olivia's legs.

"Bri, do you mind if I help Maggie for a little while?" Olivia asked, still comforting Jacob.

"I guess not. Can Elliot help me?"

"Sure." They switched positions and Olivia helped Maggie work on riding her little bike while Elliot worked with Brian. Olivia had to admit that helping Maggie was considerably easier than helping Brian. With the training wheels, all Olivia really had to do was follow behind Maggie and make sure she didn't tip over on the turns.

"Hey! Hey I'm doing it! Olivia, look at me!" Brian yelled excitedly after a few minutes.

Olivia looked up and let out a shout. "Great job, Bri!" she yelled, clapping her hands. Brian pedaled back towards her, with Elliot running behind, but not holding onto the stick.

"I did it! All by myself!" Brian yelled as he came to a rather shaky stop by Olivia and Maggie.

"You did great," Olivia answered, leaning over to hug him tightly. "I'm so proud of you, Brian!"

"Do you think I'll be good enough to ride bikes with Alex next weekend?"

"I think you'll do just fine. Especially if we make sure to practice every night."

"You're doing so well, Brian. I'm really proud of you," Elliot added as he reached over to take Jacob and his carrier from Olivia. "I'll take baby duty for awhile, babe."

"Thanks. You guys ready to take a break and have some lunch?" Olivia asked with a smile.

Brian nodded. "Yep. Are we gonna have McDonald's?"

"Maybe we can have McDonald's tomorrow, hon. Today I brought sandwiches for us to have a picnic. Let's head back, okay?"

"Okay."

As they headed back towards the car, they had to go down a short, rather steep hill. Brian had been getting used to his brakes and squeezed them slightly to avoid going too fast. But Maggie still didn't quite get the concept of pedaling backwards. As she started going down the hill, Olivia noticed she was going pretty fast.

"Maggie, slow down!" she called.

Maggie screamed. Unable to control the little bike, she began weaving more and more until she misbalanced and tipped over.

Olivia was already sprinting towards Maggie when she hit the ground and started screaming, with Elliot right on her heels. When she got to the little girl, Maggie was sobbing, holding her right knee tightly. Olivia scooped Maggie up in her arms, unhooking the helmet and letting it fall onto the ground.

"Where do you hurt, baby?" she asked, gently brushing the tears from Maggie's cheeks.

Maggie pointed to her knee and Olivia tried not to panic. The knee of Maggie's jeans was ripped and she'd skinned her knee, which was bleeding. "It hurts, Livvy," she wailed, clinging to Olivia and burying her face in her chest, sobbing.

"I know it does," Olivia whispered as she rubbed gentle circles on Maggie's back.

"How's she doing?" Elliot asked as he came up and crouched next to Olivia, stroking Maggie's hair.

"My knee hurts," Maggie whimpered.

"I bet it does, that's a pretty big owie you have there, Miss Maggie. What do you say we put a band-aid on it?"

"And kiss it to make it better?" Maggie sniffed.

"And kiss it to make it better," Elliot confirmed. He pulled a band-aid out of the diaper bag that Olivia had thrust at him before chasing after Maggie and placed it gently over the scrape. Then he bent and brushed a gentle kiss over the injury. "How does that feel, honey? All better?"

Maggie nodded, but clung to Olivia tightly. "I want uppie, Livvy."

"Okay honey," Olivia stood up, Maggie's legs wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Is Maggie okay?" Brian asked nervously as they caught up with him.

"She's fine, just a skinned knee, but those hurt plenty, don't they honey?" Olivia answered, nuzzling Maggie's neck.

Maggie nodded. "They hurt lots."

After stopping back at Olivia's car to grab the picnic basket, they found an area near the path to set up. Elliot laid the blanket on the ground while Olivia lifted Jacob out of the carrier and cuddled him against her. After eating, Brian and Maggie rode their bikes up and down the path in front of the adults. Elliot had fed Jacob while they were eating and now he laid on the blanket, his head pillowed on Olivia's thigh while Jacob lay on his chest. Olivia sighed happily as she reached down and ran her fingers through Elliot's hair. He hummed contentedly as her nails raked gently over his scalp.

"Thank you," Olivia whispered as she bent down to brush her lips over his.

"Thank you for what?" Elliot asked. He wasn't quibbling with the kiss but wasn't sure what he'd done.

"For today, being here."

"I'm here for as long as you'll have me," Elliot answered, reaching an arm up to draw her back down for another kiss, this one not quite as brief.

As she jogged along the path in Central Park, Casey Novak noticed a family having a picnic up ahead. As she watched the parents kiss, she couldn't help but smile. They were such a beautiful family and they looked so happy. The husband smiled lovingly up at his wife while one hand rubbed the baby's back. The wife looked up to call something to the older children who were riding their bikes back and forth in front of them and Casey almost tripped. That wasn't just any husband and wife! In fact it wasn't husband and wife at all! It was Elliot and Olivia! And they had been kissing!

She jogged over and waved. "Hey guys," she said, breathing slightly heavily.

Olivia jumped, guilt flashing over her face as she pushed Elliot's head off her lap. "Casey! Uh…hi. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to get in shape for softball season. How about you guys?"

"We were just teaching Brian and Maggie to ride bikes," Elliot answered as he sat up, cradling Jacob to him and resting a hand on Olivia's thigh gently.

"So these must be the kids I heard so much about a few weeks ago," Casey said, watching as Brian climbed off his bike and pulled Maggie to him protectively.

"Brian, can you come here?" Olivia asked gently.

Brian raced over and sat down close to Olivia as she tucked an arm around his shoulders. Maggie cuddled between Olivia and Elliot and watched Casey with wide blue eyes. "Who's that?" she whispered.

"This is our friend Casey," Olivia answered as she kissed the top of Maggie's head.

"Hi, you must be Brian and Maggie," Casey said with a smile as she crouched down. "I work with Olivia and Elliot."

"Are you a detective too?" Brian asked, eyeing her carefully.

"Not quite," Casey chuckled. "I'm a lawyer."

"What's that?"

"That means that after Olivia and Elliot arrest the bad guys, I make sure that they go to jail for a long time."

"Oh," Brian answered.

"How's bike riding coming?" Casey asked gently.

"Pretty good."

"I have a owie," Maggie said, pointing at her band-aid.

"Wow, that looks like it hurt. But I bet you were very brave," Casey smiled gently.

Brian grinned, looking like an 8-year-old boy for the first time since Casey had approached them. "Wanna race?"

Casey laughed. "Well that doesn't seem very fair, does it? You're on a bike but I'm running."

"I'm not very fast," Brian wheedled hopefully.

"Okay, okay, I give in," Casey agreed, standing up. "Maggie, do you want to race me too?"

Maggie shook her head and cuddled closer to Elliot and Olivia. Brian grabbed his bike and straddled it, grinning at Casey. "Ready?"

"Where are we racing to?" the ADA asked as she stretched slightly.

"How about to the fork in the path and back?" Elliot suggested, pointing to a spot about 50 yards away.

"Okay," Brian agreed. "Elliot, will you start us?"

"Sure. On your marks, get set, go!"

Olivia and Elliot watched with amused expressions as Casey jogged behind Brian, letting him win without it being obvious. Maggie looked up at Elliot hopefully. "I wanna sit with you, please."

Elliot laughed. "Okay, just let Livvy take your brother." He handed Jacob over to Olivia and lifted Maggie into his lap. A few minutes later, Brian arrived back at the picnic site, with Casey a few feet behind him.

"He's pretty fast," Casey said with a grin.

"Casey almost caught me when we turned around," Brian added. "It's easier to turn around when you're running."

"That's very true," Olivia agreed. "Casey, do you want to join us for a walk? That way the kids can get some more practice."

"Sure. Is this the baby?" she asked, watching the baby in Olivia's arms as they began walking, Maggie and Brian riding slightly ahead of them on their bikes. Elliot looked over and silently linked fingers with Olivia, squeezing gently.

"Yep, this is Jacob," Olivia turned the baby so Casey could see his face.

"Oh, he's precious!" Casey cooed softly.

"Thanks," Olivia answered proudly.

"You seem to be settling right into being a family," Casey said with a smile.

Olivia stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"

"Well, the kids are comfortable with you, you guys have seem to have a good relationship. It looks like things are working out really well."

"Thanks, they're great kids."

"How do you like being a mommy?" Casey asked, watching Brian turn around to wave at them.

"I love it," Olivia answered honestly, waving back. "We're getting along really well."

"Elliot seems to be really comfortable with them too. It must be nice to have him around to help out, since he's already been through this."

"Uh, yeah. He's been a huge help."

Casey paused. "Can I hold the baby?"

Olivia laughed. "Sure." She passed Jacob over and Casey accepted the baby, cuddling him close to her.

"Oh, he's just adorable, Olivia. Look at the duckies on this outfit!"

Olivia grinned. "I had fun at the mall last week."

"And Maggie looks like a little doll!"

"They're great kids," Olivia agreed. "Brian's a huge help and he's really doing well in school."

"He seems smart." Casey paused, looking at the kids. "You'd hardly know they've been through hell."

"We're lucky with them," Olivia answered.

Casey paused, noticing that she's referred to herself and Elliot as "we," but decided to drop it. "Yeah, you are."

That night, after pizza had been eaten and the kids were tucked into bed, Olivia was sitting on the couch, waiting for Elliot to get back from the bathroom.

Elliot walked into the living room, took one look at Olivia's face, and knew he was in trouble. "Hey," he said as he sat on the opposite end of the couch, facing her. He patted the couch in front of him. "Come sit with me."

"How could you do that, Elliot?"

"Do what?"

"In front of Casey today! You were acting like I'm your girlfriend!"

"Olivia," Elliot said softly. "You are my girlfriend."

Seeing the hurt on his face, Olivia felt her stomach drop. "I know. But you know as well as I do that if anyone from the office finds out, we're both up shit creek. We'll lose our jobs or at the very least be transferred! That includes Casey!"

"Liv, relax! Casey's a friend, she wants us to be happy."

"That doesn't mean she won't let it slip! I want this to work, but I can't lose my job over it!" Olivia hated how worked up she was getting, but they'd come so close to being found out and Elliot was acting like it was nothing.

"Olivia," Elliot spoke intensely and slid forward so he could rest his hands on her legs. "Listen to me. We're not going to lose our jobs."

"You know as well as I do that intersquad dating is forbidden."

"I know. But we're just starting this relationship. Let's give it some time and when it's right, we'll talk to Cragen. Maybe we can work something out, switch with Munch and Fin or something. If Cragen won't go for that then I'll transfer. I know how important SVU is to you."

"You're important too, El. I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me. If we can't be partners at work so we can be partners in life, isn't that worth it?"

"I don't want to see this all blow up in our faces before it even gets started," she said softly.

"Do you want to call Casey and talk about it? But remember, she didn't say anything about it today so she might not have noticed."

"If I knew for certain what she had seen, then yes. But since I don't know, then I don't want to tell her and have her feel obligated to tell Cragen."

"Do you want to wait until she says something?"

"I think that's best. But I mean it Elliot; you can't forget again, you can't act like we're having a relationship when we're at work. Or with people from work."

"I know. But this is the weekend, this is our time. And I wasn't ready to give that up. Even for an afternoon."

Smiling, Olivia crawled across the couch into Elliot's arms and sat, snuggled against his chest. "Today was great."

"It was, wasn't it?" Elliot asked with a grin as he pressed kisses to the nape of her neck.

Olivia sighed and sank further back into his embrace as Elliot kissed his way along to her ear, causing shivers to course through her body. Finally, his lips met hers in a soul searing kiss that sent waves all the way down to Olivia's toes and back up again. She twisted in his arms until she was laying against, him, her arms wrapped around his neck as her tongue explored the now familiar textures of Elliot's mouth. She moaned into his mouth as he drew her closer, fisting one hand in her dark hair while the other slid downward to cup her ass. She responded by sliding her hands down over his hard chest, loving the feel of hard muscle beneath the soft cotton of his shirt, then around to slide beneath him, squeezing his firm buttocks. Heat pooled between her legs at the combination of his arousal pressed against her belly and his rear cupped firmly in her hands.

They finally pulled apart, both panting slightly from desire. "I should go," Elliot said softly. "If I don't go now, then we're going to go farther than we're ready for."

"Stay," Olivia panted as she ground against him. She could feel his arousal pressing against her and knew he wanted it, just as badly as she did.

"Olivia," he said firmly, kissing her gently even as he sat up. "You said you wanted to take this slow and I don't want to do something you'd regret."

"I wouldn't regret this," she said stubbornly, then paused. "Unless you would?"

"God no Liv! I could never regret this. But I agreed when we said we needed to wait." He kissed her again. "So I'm going to go home and take a very long very cold shower. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Are you sure you don't want to take that shower here?"

"I want to. But I won't." Elliot stood up and pulled Olivia to her feet, kissing her one more time. "I'll see you in the morning, sleep tight."

"Oh, I'll be taking a long cold shower too." She kissed him again. "Goodnight, El."

"Night, Liv."

Olivia watched him drive away, then made a beeline upstairs. As she stood in a shower that more closely resembled an ice bath, she couldn't help but wonder how she'd fallen so hard for Elliot so fast.


	9. Chapter 9

Monday dawned bright and reasonably warm. Olivia dressed Jacob and made sure the diaper bag was packed before she woke up Brian. Once she was sure that he was getting ready, Olivia tiptoed into Maggie's room.

"Baby, wake up," she whispered, rubbing Maggie's back and kissing her cheek. "Come on Maggie Mae, let's get dressed."

"No daycare," Maggie mumbled, as she had every day the week before. "Wanna stay wif you."

"Honey, let's not go through this every morning. You'll have lots of fun at daycare today. You'll play with the other little girls and sing songs and do crafts."

Maggie rolled over and gave Olivia a look that clearly said she thought Olivia was crazy. "No I won't," she said petulantly as she sat up and wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck. "Wanna stay wif you."

"You know you can't stay with me, honey," Olivia said as she stood up, lifting Maggie with her. "But I'll come pick you up at 5:30, just like I did last week. Come on, let's put your pretty denim jumper on."

Olivia managed to get Maggie dressed and, as Maggie had again barnacled herself to Olivia, carried the little girl downstairs for breakfast.

"Okay, does everybody have everything?" Olivia asked, drinking her coffee as she bundled Jacob into his car seat, a task made only more difficult by the fact that Maggie was attached to her right leg.

"Yep!" Brian exclaimed.

"Homework, Bri?"

"In my bag."

"Lunch?"

"I'm buying today Olivia, remember?"

She sighed. "That's right. Money for lunch?"

"In my backpack."

"Good. Maggie, where's your backpack?"

"No daycare, Livvy!"

"Maggie, we don't have time for this this morning. Now, where's your backpack?" Olivia asked again, crouching down so Maggie could see she was serious.

Maggie pointed to her bag next to the door. "Don't wanna do daycare."

"Is your doll in your bag?" Olivia asked, deciding to ignore the familiar refrain. Maggie nodded. "How about your lunch?" Olivia continued.

Maggie nodded again and sighed sadly. She walked over to her pink backpack and picked it up. As she did, tears filled her big blue eyes and her lower lip started to tremble. "Pwease don't make me go?" Maggie whimpered, wrapping her arms around Olivia's legs, holding on tightly.

"Baby, you have to go. And Brian and Jacob will be there too," Olivia said as she crouched down and picked Maggie up, balancing her on one hip.

"Don't wanna go," Maggie started to wail, clinging to Olivia tightly.

"Baby, you know we have to," Olivia said, gathering Jacob and the diaper bag into her other arm. She got everyone loaded into the car, even though Maggie had refused to let go of her neck for a few minutes. As they drove through the city, Maggie's sobs grew louder and more desperate. By the time they arrived at daycare, Maggie was all but hysterical. Jacob, sensing his sister's distress, had also started to wail. Brian all but leapt out of the car, hugged Olivia goodbye as she climbed out, and raced towards the building. Olivia sighed and gathered the two crying children and their bags.

"Maggie honey, you need to calm down and stop crying, you're making Jacob upset and you're just making it harder on yourself," Olivia tried to reason with her as they walked into the building.

"Don't leave," Maggie sobbed desperately. "I wanna go wif you!"

Olivia dropped off Jacob, kissing him goodbye and apologizing to the teacher for the fact that he was in tears. Then she carried Maggie into the preschool room. "Maggie, come on honey, I have to go to work and you're going to have so much fun here!" she tried to sound cheerful, but knew that she'd failed when Maggie only cried harder.

"Livvy take me wif you! Please! I wanna stay wif you!"

"I love you Maggie and I'll miss you, but I have to go now."

"Livvy stay!" Maggie wailed as the teacher began to pry her from Olivia's neck. "Livvy, I love you! Come back, Livvy come back!"

"I'll see you tonight, honey! Be good! I love you!"

By the time she got to the station, Olivia had managed to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes one more time and walked into the station house.

Elliot watched his partner walk in and knew it hadn't been a good morning for Olivia. "Daycare still isn't going well, is it?" he asked as she sat down across from him.

She shook her head. "It was worse today. She cried so hard she was almost hysterical and she got Jacob crying too. I can't handle this, Elliot. I have to do something."

Elliot nodded. "We'll think of something, I promise. It's not fair to either of you to have to go through this."

Olivia sighed and nodded. She grabbed the file on Valerie Bowmen's case and started filling out paperwork. Elliot watched until he was sure that she was engrossed in the work before he stood up and walked towards Cragen's office. He'd had an idea the night before that he wanted to run by the captain.

Elliot knocked on the door and waited for Cragen's "come in," before he stuck his head in. "Hey Captain? You got a minute?"

"Sure Elliot what's up?" Cragen answered, leaning back in his chair and motioning to the seat across from him.

"Well, I was thinking, Olivia's been through a lot the past few weeks. She loves having the kids and she's doing a great job. But it's still hard to be a single parent, especially to three children."

"I've seen how hard she's working, Elliot. What are you getting at?"

"I think it would mean a lot to her if the squad did something to show that they support her."

"Like what?" Cragen asked, his brows furrowing.

"Well, I was thinking like a baby shower."

"A baby shower?" Cragen echoed, a small smile dawning on his face. "That sounds like something she'd enjoy. Are you going to plan it?"

Elliot laughed. "I might have four kids, but I've never been to a baby shower. It's usually a girl thing, but Olivia doesn't really have any girlfriends."

"I'll call Casey and see if she can fix something up. Why don't you ask Olivia what date is good for her and get back to me?"

"Um, I was actually thinking it might be fun if it was a surprise party."

"You do remember what happened last time you surprised Olivia with a party, don't you? I'm surprised she didn't kill you!"

"She would have if there hadn't been chocolate cake," Elliot pointed out. "But that's because Olivia's not a big fan of her birthday. You know, we should probably make sure that there's chocolate cake at the shower too, just in case."

Cragen laughed. "I'll pass that along to Casey. When were you thinking of having it?"

"I don't know. Maybe next month will be enough time to plan it?"

"Okay, good idea Elliot. I'll see what I can do."

Elliot grinned and stood up. "Thanks, Don."

"Now answer one question for me. What's going on between you and Olivia?" Cragen asked, raising an eyebrow and looking for all the world like an over-protective father.

Elliot froze for a moment. "Well, I've been spending a lot of time with her and the kids to help out. Saturday we taught Brian and Maggie to ride bikes."

Cragen nodded slowly. "Right. Just make sure that whatever happens outside the office doesn't affect either of your abilities to do the job. And for God's sake, keep it quiet, I don't want to deal with IAB."

Elliot grinned and nodded. "Got it Cap."

"And just to warn you, if you hurt her, there won't be any place you can hide."

"Yes sir," Elliot answered, now knowing how his daughters' dates must feel.

He walked back into the squad room and decided not to tell Olivia about his little talk with Cragen. If she found out that anyone knew about their relationship, as new as it was, she'd break it off so fast his head would spin. "Hey, find any…" Elliot trailed off when he realized that his partner was on the phone and looking terrified.

"Okay, got it. Yes, I'll be right there." Olivia hung up the phone and began frantically gathering her purse and jacket, her hands shaking as she did so.

"Olivia?" Elliot asked softly, his own sense of ill standing on end. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go pick up Maggie," she said, panic rising in her voice. "She's sick, I have to go get her, I knew I shouldn't have left her this morning."

"Wait, hold on a second Liv. What do you mean Maggie's sick?"

"She threw up, I have to go get her."

"Okay, we'll go now," Elliot said, resting a hand on her back. "You go tell Cragen."

Olivia nodded and hurried to Cragen's office, knocking on the half closed door.

"Come in Olivia," Cragen called.

"Captain, I'm sorry to ask but I have to go get Maggie from daycare."

"What's wrong?" Cragen asked, standing, worry etched clearly on his face.

"She got sick," Olivia answered, guilt gnawing at her stomach. "The teacher said that she cried so hard she made herself sick."

"Okay, do you want to take the rest of the day off?" Cragen asked, his voice soothing.

"Do you mind if I bring her here?" Olivia asked. "I don't want to get even more behind, or ask for more time off, since I just had a week."

Cragen motioned to one seat in front of the desk and, once Olivia had sat down, with her hands clenched tightly, sat down next to her. "Olivia, you're a mother now. Things are going to come up and you're going to need time off. I understand that and I expect it. You can bring Maggie here today, as long as she's not contagious. But this really isn't the place for a three-year-old."

"I know. And it won't happen again."

Cragen nodded. "You go rescue Maggie. Is Elliot going with you?"

"If you don't mind."

"No, I had a feeling he'd want to go. He seems pretty attached to the kids."

"They get along really well. Brian really enjoys having a man around."

"I bet. I hope she's okay."

Olivia smiled slightly. "Thanks. So do I." Olivia stood up and hurried out of the room to find Elliot waiting for her.

"Did Cragen give you the okay to bring Maggie here or are we going home after this?"

"He said I can bring her here this once, if she's not contagious." Olivia looked around desperately, patting her pockets. "Where are my keys?"

Elliot smiled and held up her keys. "I've got them. I'll drive, you're too shaky."

"I can do it," Olivia protested stubbornly as she reached for her keys, only to have them removed from her range.

"Olivia, I'm driving. Or we can take a cab, it's your choice."

Olivia sighed. "Fine, drive."

They walked quickly to Olivia's car and as they drove towards the daycare, Elliot reached over and laid his hand over her closed fist. "She's going to be okay, Liv."

"How can you say that?!" Olivia finally exploded. "She cried until she made herself sick! That's not okay Elliot! She sobs hysterically every time I leave her and when I pick her up, she won't leave my side! That's not okay and it's not healthy!"

"I know it's not. But we'll figure something out Olivia. We'll help her." He paused to look over at her at a stoplight. "When the twins went to preschool, they went through a similar phase. Every time I left, they started crying, thinking they wouldn't see me again."

"What did you do?" she asked softly.

"I went with them."

"To preschool?"

"Yep. I started out with a full day, and left a little earlier every day. Maybe you need to do something like that with Maggie."

"If it would help. But I'm not sure Cragen would give me the time off, I just took a week."

"He also knows that you won't be at your best if you're worried about the kids. Talk to Cragen, it can't hurt."

Olivia nodded as they pulled up to the daycare facility. Elliot had hardly stopped the car when Olivia was climbing out and hurrying towards the door. Elliot raced after her and stopped her at the door. "We can't go charging in there," he warned her, grabbing her arm. "If we do, it's just going to set her off."

"I'm not supposed to be worried about her?"

"No, you're not supposed to panic. Liv, she's fine. Sick, but fine."

Olivia nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm okay. Let's go."

They walked in the daycare and the receptionist smiled. "Detective Benson, Maggie is in the nurse's office. She hasn't gotten sick again, I think she might be asleep."

Olivia smiled wanly. "Thanks Vicky. We'll go get her." Olivia led Elliot down the hall to the nurse's office and stopped in the doorway.

Maggie was curled up on the cot, her right fingers stuck in her mouth as she sucked and sniffed back tears. The nurse sat next to her and rubbed her back gently but Maggie was clearly unreceptive to her attempts at comfort. Olivia's heart broke at the sight of her little girl, so clearly miserable.

"Maggie, baby," Olivia whispered, walking into the room.

Maggie looked up quickly and when she was Olivia, she immediately reached out her arms as tears started to flow again. Olivia sat down on the cot, gathering Maggie close to her and rubbing her back as she murmured softly to her. Maggie wrapped one arm tightly around Olivia's neck and fisted her little hand in the collar of Olivia's coat. "Don't leave," she whimpered.

"You're okay baby. I'm here. Shhh, you're okay."

"I got sick, Livvy."

"I know, sweetie. What happened?" she asked, looking up at the nurse.

"It looks like she just got too worked up crying and her little body couldn't take it anymore, so she threw up. She hasn't gotten sick again, but it's our policy that if they have a fever or have thrown up, they have to go home."

Olivia nodded and continued to rock Maggie gently as Elliot sat next to them and gently stroked her hair. "Hey little girl," he spoke softly. "How are you feeling now?"

"Sweepy," Maggie answered with a yawn. "My tummy's growly."

"Growly like you're going to be sick again?" Olivia asked worriedly as she stroked a hand over Maggie's forehead to check for fever.

Maggie shook her head. "Like it used to wif my other mommy."

"Oh," Olivia said softly. "Growly like it's empty?"

Maggie nodded. "My tummy isn't sick anymore, Livvy."

"Okay, let's head out and we'll get you some soup. How does that sound?"

"You're leaving?" Maggie asked, her eyes filling with tears again as she clung tighter.

"What? Oh, no honey, I'm not going anywhere without you. You're going to come with me."

"Home with Elliot?"

Olivia smiled as Elliot drew Maggie into his lap. She settled against his chest and began playing with his tie. "Actually, Olivia and I are going to take you to work with us, how does that sound?"

Maggie smiled and nodded. "I wanna go t' work."

Olivia smiled and bent over to kiss Maggie on the top of her head. "I'm going to go get your things, okay Mags?"

Maggie shook her head and all but dove off out of Elliot's arms into Olivia's. "Stay with you, Livvy."

"Okay. Elliot, could you go get her coat and backpack?"

"No problem. Do you want me to get Jacob too?"

Olivia paused, thinking. "No, I'll pick him up tonight when I get Brian. If the station is no place for a three-year-old, it's certainly no place for an infant."

Elliot was back a few minutes later, carrying Maggie's pink coat and backpack. "Is everyone ready to go?"

"I'm coming," Maggie said, trying to sound firm, but sounding small and scared instead.

"You're coming," Olivia confirmed as she stood, still holding Maggie.

Elliot draped Maggie's coat over her as she nestled in Olivia's arms and kissed the top of her head. "Let's go get some lunch first?" Elliot asked Olivia, who nodded.

"Maggie has a lunch, but I think some soup would be best. Does that sound good, sweetie?"

Maggie nodded against Olivia's shoulder, still holding on for dear life. Elliot opened the door for Olivia as they walked outside. "Do you want me to take her?" he offered, reaching out.

Maggie clung tighter. "Stay wif Livvy," she said, shaking her head. But she reached out a hand for Elliot to hold.

Olivia settled Maggie into the backseat of the car and sat next to her, letting Maggie lie down and rest her head in her lap. Olivia stroked Maggie's hair gently as Elliot pulled away from the curb. He glanced in the review mirror and smiled. Olivia caught his eye in the mirror, but her answering smile was half hearted.

Elliot pulled into the parking garage of the station house and glanced behind him. "Is she still awake?" he asked with a smile.

Olivia nodded and climbed out of the car, carrying Maggie. They walked to a restaurant two blocks away and Olivia ordered Maggie a cup of chicken noodle soup and some crackers. When they'd finished, Maggie having eaten all of her soup and crackers and a few bites of Olivia's Greek salad, Elliot lifted Maggie onto his shoulders and they headed back to the station.

As they passed a bookstore, Maggie let out an excited squeal. "Lilo! Look Livvy! Lilo and Stitch!"

Olivia looked where Maggie was pointing and laughed. In a window display was a Lilo and Stitch book "Do you want to go into the bookstore?" Olivia asked and Maggie nodded violently. They walked into the store and as Maggie perused the children's section, Elliot drew Olivia off to the side.

"How many are you going to get her?" he asked.

"I don't know. Three or four maybe. Why?"

"I just don't want her to get the idea that if she has a fit and makes herself sick, then she gets to come to work with us and gets presents."

"If she's sick and is going to have to spend an entire afternoon at the station house, where there's nothing for her to do, then yes, I am going to buy her something to entertain herself with. It's not like she's faking sick so she can skip daycare, it's my fault she's sick!"

"Whoa, back up there. What are you talking about Olivia?" Elliot asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I'm the one who made her stay there Elliot! I took her there, already in tears, and left her there, sobbing hysterically! If I hadn't forced her to stay there then she wouldn't have gotten sick!"

"Liv," Elliot spoke softly and stroked her hands over her arms. "This isn't your fault. Maggie's just going through a tough time right now. There's nothing you could have done to prevent this. And blaming yourself isn't going to make it any easier for Maggie to go to daycare. I just don't want Maggie to think that making herself sick is a good thing."

Olivia looked over at Maggie, then back at Elliot. "I hate leaving her like that."

"I know you do, sweetheart. And we'll call the daycare when we get back to the station and see if you and her teacher can work something out. But I think you and Maggie need to sit down and have a little talk."

"I know. I just…I want her to be happy."

"She is. Look at her, Liv. She's coming out of her shell, she's playing. She loves you and she's loved. It shows."

Olivia smiled, looking back at the little girl who was sitting in the bean bag chair looking at the pictures in a book. "Let's get back to the station; Miss Maggie needs her nap, especially after this morning." Olivia and Elliot walked over to the bean bag chair Maggie was sitting in and crouched down. "What did you find?" Olivia asked.

Maggie smiled. "Lilo. An' a kitty wif a hat. An' babies." She pointed to the three books that she had spread out in front of her.

"Those look like excellent books. Do you want to take those to the station with us?"

Maggie paused, then smiled. "Really?"

"Yep. Why don't we pick out a new coloring book and some crayons for you to play with, too?"

Maggie smiled and climbed into Olivia's arms. "Sank you, Livvy."

"You're welcome honey." Olivia lifted Maggie. "El, can you grab the books?"

"Sure. Maggie, what coloring book do you want?"

"Princesses," Maggie answered.

"And sparkly crayons?"

"Yes, pwease, Elliot," Maggie smiled innocently.

"Sparkly?" Olivia asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What can I say, I learned a lot from my girls."

They stood in line, then headed back to the station, Maggie clutching her new books and skipping between them. But once they were walking up the steps, Maggie stopped and reached up her arms. "Uppie, Livvy."

Elliot reached down. "How about I carry you, Maggie Mae?"

"I' the scary man gonna be here?"

"Scary man?" Olivia repeated, confused. "What scary man?"

"The scary man in black."

Olivia bit her lip and Elliot chuckled. "That's Uncle John, Maggie," Olivia said, managing not to laugh, barely.

"He's scary looking," Maggie whispered, burying her face in Elliot's neck.

"Uncle John might look scary, but he's very nice," Elliot assured her gently.

Maggie sat up in Elliot's arms and gave him Olivia's "yeah right," look.

"Captain Cragen will be there too," Olivia said with a smile, hoping to take Maggie's mind off of her fear of Munch. "Remember, he helped take care of you a few weeks ago when Elliot and I had to go out for a little while?"

Maggie still didn't look completely sure as Elliot carried her into the station. Fin looked up from his computer and smiled at the little girl. "Hey there, Maggie," he said, noticing the way she clung to Elliot. "Are you feeling better?"

Maggie nodded, still attached tightly to Elliot's neck. "She's tired," Olivia explained.

"I bet," Fin agreed, nodding.

"El, I'm gonna tell Cragen we're back, can you take care of Maggie?"

"No problem. We'll be just fine, won't we sweetie?"

Maggie looked at Elliot through huge blue eyes. "Read my book?"

"Sure thing, Maggie." Elliot grinned at her and kissed the tip of her nose, then looked at Olivia. "We're fine, Liv. Go."

Olivia nodded, brushed a hand over Maggie's hair, and headed for Cragen's office while Elliot sat down at his desk and settled Maggie in with The Cat In The Hat.

Munch walked in from lunch and stopped short at the sight of Elliot cuddling the little blonde sprite and reading to her while Maggie giggled. "Well look who it is, Daddy and the little angel."

Maggie turned her head into Elliot's chest, latching onto his tie for dear life. "Scary man," she murmured.

"No, it's Uncle John honey," Elliot soothed, rubbing her back as he looked up at Munch. "Don't mind her, John. It's almost n-a-p time."

"No nap," Maggie answered, shaking her head.

"No nap until Livvy comes back, how's that?"

Maggie shook her head. "Wanna read."

"It sounds like someone's feeling better," Munch said with a smile. "Are you, Miss Maggie?"

Maggie nodded, still holding onto Elliot's tie. "No mo' daycare t'day," she said with a small smile.

"Won't you miss your little friends?" Munch asked, leaning against Elliot's desk.

Maggie cuddled into Elliot, but answered. "No, wanna stay wif Livvy."

"How come?" Munch asked curiously.

Maggie paused. "I love Livvy," she answered, as if it was obvious. "Livvy's nice."

"Yes she is, and Livvy loves you very much," Elliot assured her.

Munch walked back to his desk and raised his eyebrows at his partner. "Unless I'm wrong, Elliot thinks our Liv is more than nice."

Fin chuckled. "Oh yeah. They're about two longing looks away from causing the station to combust from the heat."

"They make a pretty family, don't they?" Munch asked, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smile.

"Yep."

"You think the Cap knows about this?" Munch continued, watching Elliot and Maggie through dark glasses.

"I think he knows a lot more than he lets on," Fin answered, turning back to his files. Fin had never been one to gossip about his co-workers, despite the fact that Munch gossiped like a school girl.

"What if he knew this would happen?" Munch suggested.

"I swear to God, if you start with some ridiculous conspiracy, I'm walking out of this squad room and never coming back."

"I'm just saying, there's been a chemistry between those two since day one."

"And I'm just telling you not to say anything."

Oblivious to the fact that her love life was being discussed by two of her co-workers, Olivia sat in Cragen's office, waiting for him to get off the phone with Casey. She didn't know that not a minute before she'd knocked on the door, Casey and Cragen had been busy planning the surprise baby shower for her. Cragen hung up the phone and smiled at the clearly worried woman sitting across from him.

"How is she?" he asked, concern showing in his voice as well.

"I think she's feeling better. She had some soup at lunch and right now Elliot's reading to her."

"Good. Feel free to use the crib today, she can nap and play in there if you promise to get work done," Cragen narrowed a look at Olivia that had her feeling like a child.

"Thanks, sir."

"Olivia," Cragen said with a smile. "I'd like to think of myself as your friend as well as your Captain. You can call me Don."

"Thank you…Don," Olivia smiled back. "Actually, I was wondering if I could ask a favor?"

"Shoot."

"I was talking to Elliot and he said that the twins had a similar problem when they started preschool."

Cragen nodded. "I remember. He felt so guilty leaving them."

"He told me that it helped when he went with them a few times, kind of eased them into it."

"Sounds smart. Get them used to being left little by little."

"Exactly. I was wondering, could I take some time this week and try that with Maggie?"

Cragen pursed his lips thoughtfully. "How much time would you need?"

"Well, I was hoping to take all day tomorrow, then I could probably be in by 2:30 on Wednesday, take a half day on Thursday, then be in by 10:30 on Friday."

"What about next week?" Cragen asked. "Would you need to take some time on Monday and Tuesday?"

"I don't know," Olivia answered honestly. "It depends on how well she's adjusted this week. Maybe come in at 9:30 or so on Monday and Tuesday. I know it's a lot to ask, Don, especially since I took an entire week two weeks ago, but…"

"But you need to feel comfortable leaving her someplace before your head can be on the job and before Maggie can really start getting used to life with you." Cragen smiled. "Go ahead, get her settled. This is part of that being a mother thing, Olivia. Things are a little rocky right now because you and the kids are still getting used to everything. But it'll calm down and you'll all get into a routine."

"Thanks, Captain," Olivia said with a grin. "I don't foresee having to take any more time off any time soon."

"You have plenty of time built up, don't worry about it. You take care of yourself and those kids and we'll work the rest out when the time comes."

Olivia walked out of Cragen's office and paused, watching Elliot reading to Maggie. She was so proud of Maggie for overcoming her fear of men. Or if not of men in general, then at least of Elliot. "Maggie Mae, are you ready for nap time?" Olivia smiled, reaching out her arms.

"Where's th' bed?" Maggie asked, looking around the squad room.

Olivia chuckled as she nuzzled Maggie's neck. "It's upstairs in the crib."

Maggie shook her head. "Cribs are for babies, Livvy. Me big girl."

"It's not a real crib, baby. It's a room where Elliot and I sleep when we're here late. There are beds there. Big girl beds."

Olivia carried Maggie into the crib and the little girl looked around before holding on tighter to Olivia's neck. "Scary, Livvy. You stay with me?"

Olivia paused, then smiled. "Okay, I'll stay with you up here. Let me call down to Elliot so he knows that I'll be up here, okay?"

Maggie nodded and when Olivia laid her on the bed, she held on tightly. "Stay here."

Olivia sighed and lay down next to Maggie, gathering the little girl into her arms. "Okay, you're safe baby. Sleep tight."

Olivia laid there until Maggie's deep steady breathing told her that the little girl was sound asleep. Feeling the emotions of the day catch up with her, Olivia closed her eyes, just for a second, and fell into a deep sleep.

Elliot looked at his watch for what must have been the twentieth time and sighed. Olivia had said she'd be down when Maggie fell asleep to get something to work on up in the crib. That had been an hour ago. For the first half an hour, he'd told himself that Maggie was just having trouble falling asleep. Then he'd tried to convince himself that Olivia was just nervous about leaving Maggie all alone in the crib, even for a few minutes. But now he was really worried.

He finally gave up and hurried up to the crib, being careful not to make any noise in case Maggie was sleeping. He tiptoed into the crib and melted at the scene in front of him. Maggie was asleep, curled in Olivia's arms while Olivia slept also. Elliot smiled broadly as he picked up a blanket and gently draped it over the sleeping females. Once they were covered, Elliot bent down and brushed gentle kisses over both of their foreheads. He went back downstairs to gather up some paperwork and took a seat on the couch, watching Olivia and Maggie sleep.

An hour later, Olivia blinked her eyes open and looked around, surprised. One arm was asleep, which she quickly realized was because Maggie was laying on it. Moving slowly, she slid her arm out from under Maggie and sat up, running a hand through her hair. She turned to head back down to the squad room and jumped half a mile when she saw Elliot sitting on the couch, watching her with a knowing smile.

"How long have you been here?" she whispered, walking over to sit next to him.

Elliot smiled and linked fingers with her. "About an hour. You look so relaxed and happy when you're asleep."

"You watched me?" Olivia blushed slightly. She didn't mind Elliot watching her while she was awake, but watching while she slept was something completely different. If she was asleep, then she was vulnerable.

"I came up to see what was keeping you and you looked so irresistible, I couldn't leave." Olivia blushed and Elliot grinned. "You were curled all protectively around her, this peaceful, innocent expression on both of your faces."

"Stop it, Stabler," she grumbled.

"You know, you're cute when you blush, Liv."

Olivia paused, then leaned over and pressed her lips to his. Elliot immediately responded to the hard fast kiss, wishing it could have been slower and more drawn out. They broke apart quickly, knowing they were at work and it was likely that someone would walk in on them. Or that Maggie would wake up and start asking questions.

Seeing the satisfied smirk on Olivia's face, Elliot chuckled. "You couldn't think of a comeback, huh?"

"Well it worked," Olivia argued back.

"If that was meant to be a punishment though, it's not going to deter me. If anything, I'm going to tease you more."

"Not if you don't want to tip everyone else off as to what's going on."

"Would it really be so bad if they found out?" Elliot asked with a smile.

Olivia gave him a long look but was interrupted by a small, frightened voice asking, "Livvy? Livvy!"

"I'm right here sweetie," Olivia hurried to the cot and gathered Maggie into her arms.

"You left, Livvy," Maggie said softly, holding on tightly.

"No I didn't baby, I was sitting with Elliot on the couch."

"Elliot?" Maggie asked, sitting up and looking around. When she saw Elliot, she smiled and held out her arms.

Elliot smiled and walked over to the cot, sitting next to Olivia and hugging Maggie tightly. "Did you have a nice nap honey?"

Maggie nodded into Elliot's chest. "We pway now?" she asked hopefully.

Olivia caught Elliot's eye and shook her head. "Maggie, Elliot's going to go downstairs for a little bit because you and I need to chat."

"What's chat?" Maggie asked, her little brow furrowing.

"It means you and I need to talk."

Maggie paused. "Elliot stay?" she asked, holding onto him tightly.

Olivia sighed, but shook her head. "Sorry hon, this is a Livvy and Maggie only talk."

Maggie nodded as Elliot stood and waved her little starfish hand. "Bye Elliot."

"I'll see you in a little bit, Maggie." Elliot gathered the papers he'd brought with him and shot Olivia a look that told her she was doing the right thing.

Once Elliot was out of the room, Olivia settled Maggie on her lap facing her. "You know I love you, right Maggie?"

Maggie nodded. "Love you too, Livvy."

"Sweetie, as much as I love you, I can't be with you all the time."

"Why not?" Maggie asked, eyes wide.

"Because, sometimes I have to do things, like go to work. And when I have to go someplace without you, I don't like leaving you when you're crying."

"Don't like it when you leave, Livvy." Maggie said, wrapping her arms around Olivia's waist.

"I know, Maggie. I don't like it when I leave either. But sometimes I have to."

"You're not coming back," Maggie said softly.

"Don't I always come back, Maggie?"

"Mommy didn't," Maggie said softly, playing with Olivia's necklace.

"Oh baby." Olivia drew Maggie into her arms and held on tightly. "I know your mommy didn't come back, but I promise that I will always come back."

"What if you don't?" Maggie asked, eyes big and tear filled.

"I will. I will always come get you. Sometimes it might be a whole day, when I'm working and you're at daycare, and sometimes it might be short, like when I'm helping Brian with homework or taking a shower. But no matter what, I'll always come back for you, because I love you very very much."

"Miss you, Livvy."

"I miss you too, but you know what makes me really happy? When I think about getting to go and pick you up at daycare because I think of how much fun we're going to have playing when we get home."

"Wanna play with you at home all the time."

Olivia laughed. "I know, and that would be a lot of fun. But if I didn't go to work, then we wouldn't have money to have our house, or for toys and food. How about this. I have to go to work, which means that you have to daycare."

"Why can't I come work with you?" Maggie interrupted.

"Because, Elliot and I make bad guys go to jail and the bad guys are too dangerous for you. But you have a very special job."

"What's that?" Maggie asked curiously, her interest peaked.

"Your job is to go to daycare. You're very important there because you're Jacob's big sister. So you get to help make sure that he's all right during the day."

"Teacher said I can't play with Baby Jacob."

"Well I'll talk to your teacher and see if you can go visit Jacob during the day. Because Jacob's just a baby, he needs his big sister there so he won't be scared."

"Daycare's scary," Maggie said in a barely audible voice.

"I know. How would you like it if I came to daycare with you this week?"

Maggie's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yep. I'll come tomorrow for all day."

"Yay!" Maggie exclaimed, hugging Olivia tightly. "I love you, Livvy!"

"I love you too, Maggie. But you have to listen to me now. If I'm going to come to daycare with you, I need you to do something for me."

"What?" Maggie asked.

"I need you to try not to get scared if you have to stay at daycare, or with Maureen, okay? It makes me sad when you cry because I'm leaving. It makes my heart hurt."

"Don't be sad, Livvy," Maggie hugged her tightly.

Olivia smiled. "I won't be sad if you're not sad, okay?"

"Okay." Maggie beamed. "Pway now?"

Olivia shook her head. "Remember what I told you about not being able to play when we're at the station?" Maggie nodded. "Well you can color and look at your books and play with your doll, but Elliot and I have to work."

Maggie sighed sadly, then perked up slightly. "I wanna help!"

"I'm sorry sweetie," Olivia chuckled as she stood up, carrying Maggie in her arms. "But our work is for grown ups. It was a very nice offer though. Thank you."

When they walked down the stairs, Maggie began to squirm. Olivia set her on her feet and she raced off towards Elliot. "Elliot! Livvy's gonna go to daycare with me!"

Elliot laughed as he scooped Maggie into his arms. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Maggie nodded. "You come too, Elliot?"

Elliot was taken aback. "I'd love to come," he said after a long pause. "But I need to come to work and help Uncle John and Uncle Fin." Seeing Maggie's lower lip begin to stick out, Elliot thought fast. "Maybe I could come have lunch with you and Livvy. How's that?"

"Okay." She grinned hopefully. "Read Lilo and Stitch, Elliot?"

"I would, big girl. But I have to work."

"Livvy has to work too," Maggie sighed.

"Maggie, I can read to you," Munch said, pushing himself back from his desk.

Maggie stared at him, wide-eyed. Olivia held out the book. "Uncle John can read to you, honey. He's really good at reading stories. And I'll be right here where you can see me."

Maggie reached out and slowly took the book from Olivia before climbing off Elliot's lap. She clutched the book tightly to her chest as she walked slowly towards Munch's desk. When she got there, Maggie paused, thinking, before she shyly held out her book.

Munch took the book and looked at the little girl in front of him. "Do you want to sit on my lap?" he offered.

Maggie paused, then nodded and let him lift her up. She sat on his lap upright, not relaxing against his chest, as Munch opened the book and began to read, doing different voices for the different characters.

Olivia looked up when she heard Maggie giggling and grinned to see that she was apparently comfortable with Munch.

When the story was over, Maggie smiled innocently at Munch. "Again, Uncle John?"

Munch smiled at the little girl. "Okay, one more time. But then I have to get some work done."

Maggie smiled as she opened the book to the first page. "You're a good reader, Uncle John."

Fin snorted. "Well Uncle John's pretty old, Maggie. He's had a lot of practice."

Munch glared at Fin as Maggie giggled, but instead of starting an argument he began reading.

Olivia tried to concentrate on the paperwork that was sitting in front of her, but she kept glancing nervously at Maggie in Munch's arms. Not that she didn't trust Munch, he continually surprised her with his skill with children. She just worried about Maggie being with someone other than herself.

Elliot watched Olivia and smiled. The protective mother in her had come out full force. He reached out a foot and nudged her gently under the table. When Olivia's head snapped back to look at him, he smiled reassuringly. Olivia sighed and nodded, turning back to her paperwork.

When Munch finished reading, Maggie leaned back against his chest and smiled. "Again?"

"No Maggie, we talked about this," Munch shook his head. "I have to get some work done."

"Maggie, how would you like a snack?" Fin asked gently.

Maggie nodded. "Yes please," she said shyly.

"Do you want to come with me to get something from the machine?"

Maggie shook her head and held onto Munch's tie. "Stay here."

"Fin, something healthy," Olivia spoke up. "Not candy and soda."

"I like candy," Munch said, tickling Maggie and making her giggle.

"Me too," she said. "Livvy don't like candy."

"Yes I do, but candy is only for special occasions, not for everyday," Olivia said. "And soda isn't good for little girls."

Fin stood up and headed for the vending machine. Maggie slid off Munch's lap and walked over to Olivia's desk where she climbed into a chair. When Fin came back with a small bag of Ritz peanut butter crackers, Maggie took them shyly.

"Sank you, Mr. Fin."

Fin smiled and crouched down. "Why don't you call me Uncle Fin, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded. "Okay," she said softly.

At 4:00 Cragen stuck his head out of his office door. "Olivia? You and Elliot can head out and pick up the boys."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, go on. I know you've been wanting to."

"Me too, Cap?" Elliot asked, surprised.

"Yep. Good luck in daycare tomorrow, Olivia."

Olivia sighed. "Thanks. The little chairs might just kill me." She turned to Maggie. "Ready to go get your brothers?"

"An' go home?"

"Yep." Olivia started gathering Maggie's books. "El, dinner?"

"Pwease, Elliot?" Maggie asked, reaching out her arms.

"Well how could I resist an invitation like that?" Elliot asked with a grin as he stood and scooped Maggie into his arms. "How about a shoulder ride, Mags?"

"Yeah!" Maggie yelled, then squealed excitedly as Elliot lifted her up.

"Okay Maggie, say goodbye to Uncle John and Uncle Fin." Olivia said, handing Maggie's coat up to her.

"Bye, Unca John, sank you fo' weading t' me," Maggie said, waving from her perch. "Bye Unca Fin, sank you fo' the snack."

"Bye Maggie," Munch and Fin chorused.

"Bye Miss Maggie," Cragen said from the doorway.

"Bye-bye, Cap'in Cwagen," Maggie said, waving happily. "Come on, Elliot! Go home!"

"Yes ma'am!"

As they headed out the door, Cragen smiled to himself, thinking that they made a wonderful family.

*****

Olivia walked into daycare the next morning and dropped Jacob off in the infant room, then walked with Maggie into the preschool room. Mrs. Johnson, Maggie's teacher smiled.

"Are you ready for today?"

Olivia chuckled. "I hope so."

"Livvy's gonna stay wif me," Maggie said, holding on tightly to Olivia's hand.

"Yes she is, and we're very excited about that," Mrs. Johnson said with a smile. "Maggie can you go put your backpack away so I can talk to Livvy for a minute?"

Maggie held on tighter. "I wanna stay."

Olivia crouched down so she was eye level with Maggie. "Maggie, do you remember what we talked about yesterday? About how I can't be with you all the time?" Maggie nodded and Olivia continued. "Now I need you to be a big girl and put your backpack away for me. I'll be right here waiting for you."

Maggie paused, then nodded and walked slowly towards the coat room, glancing over her shoulder every few feet.

Olivia stood up and faced the teacher. "I'm not entirely sure how to do this."

"Well usually, we try to have the parents observe. If you can be here but not interacting with her too much, it usually makes the child more comfortable and helps them overcome their fears. If you do play with her, Maggie's the type who won't branch out and will only play with you. That won't help anybody."

Olivia nodded. "What about lunch? My…uh…partner was planning on coming to join us."

"It's okay to eat with her. You don't have to ignore her, but try encouraging her to play with the other kids."

"Got it." Olivia looked down as Maggie wrapped her arms around her legs, clutching her doll. "Is your backpack away?"

Maggie nodded. "Livvy, come play."

"Why don't you go play with some of the other little girls?" Olivia suggested. "Look, there are some playing with the kitchen set."

"You come too," Maggie tugged at her hand.

"How about I sit here and watch you?" Olivia sat down in a tiny chair, her knees almost touching her chest. Maggie stared at her wide-eyed and Olivia smiled gently. "I'll be right here, baby, you can see me from the play area."

"You'll stay here?"

"Right here."

"O…kay," Maggie said uncertainly. She walked slowly over to the kitchen area, holding onto her doll for dear life. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hi, Maggie," one little girl with dark brown braids answered. "My name's Jenna. Do you wanna play with us?" Maggie nodded and Jenna looked at the doll in her arms. "Is that yours?"

Maggie nodded again. "Her name's Livvy."

"Play you're Livvy's mommy and have to make breakfast," Jenna instructed.

Maggie shook her head. "No, I'm gonna be her Livvy."

"What's a Livvy?" another little girl with dark blonde hair asked.

"That's Elise," Jenna explained.

"I used to have a mommy, but she was mean. Now I have Livvy an' she's nice," Maggie answered simply. She pointed to Olivia. "My Livvy came with today."

"Lucky," Jenna grumbled. "My mommy goes to work."

"Livvy works with Elliot."

"Who's that?"

"Her partner. He's nice."

"Oh," Jenna and Elise chorused.

Olivia beamed as she watched the interaction between Maggie and the little girls. After about half an hour, Maggie walked over, followed by the girls.

"Livvy, we wanna color," Maggie said, climbing into Olivia's lap.

"You'll have to ask Mrs. Johnson about that, sweetie," Olivia answered. "But who are your new friends?"

"Jenna an' Elise."

"It's very nice to meet both of you," Olivia grinned. "Now why don't you three go ask Mrs. Johnson if you can color?"

"Okay," Maggie slid down. "You come too, Livvy?"

"No, you go play with your friends. I'll be right here."

"Will you hold Livvy?" Maggie asked, holding out her doll.

"Sure." Olivia watched Maggie scamper off and leaned back in her chair, the only way she could sit without her legs cramping up, and watched as Maggie and her friends began finger painting.

Lunch time rolled around and Elliot walked into the preschool room, balancing Jacob in one arm and a brown paper sack in the other.

"Elliot!" Maggie yelled, racing across the playroom and throwing her arms around his legs.

"Maggie," Mrs. Johnson warned gently. "Let's use our inside voice, okay?"

"K," Maggie said, still attached to Elliot's legs.

Jenna and Elise had followed Maggie and stared up at Elliot with big eyes. "Who's that?" Elise asked.

"My Elliot," Maggie said. "He comed for lunch. An' this is Baby Jacob. He's my brother."

Olivia walked up to Elliot and barely managed to resist brushing her lips over his. "Hey," she said with a soft smile. "I'm glad you could make it." Olivia took Jacob and cuddled him close.

"No problem." Elliot's answering smile revealed that he knew exactly what she had been thinking. "I thought the little one here would enjoy joining us for lunch."

"Thanks. I checked on him a few times, but he seemed to be doing okay. Of course, he's too little to really notice when I'm not there."

Elliot watched Jacob latch on to Olivia's collar and smiled. "Oh, he knows all right. How's Maggie doing?" he whispered, watching as Maggie hurried off to get her lunch.

"Actually, really well. She's been playing with Jenna and Elise all day."

"Good. No tears?"

"Nope. She still watches to make sure I haven't left, but I think she's having fun with her new friends.."

"Good, that's a step." Elliot grinned as Maggie came back, tugging on his leg.

"Uppie, Elliot?" Maggie asked hopefully.

Elliot chuckled and bent over, lifting her into his arms. "Can you show me where we eat lunch, sweetheart?"

Maggie nodded from her perch and pointed at the group of small tables. "Over there."

"Of course," Elliot said with a smirk for Olivia. "Tiny chairs."

"I've gotten used to it," Olivia laughed. "But I'm not sure I'll be able to move tomorrow."

After lunch Elliot crouched down to Maggie's height. "Bye honey, have fun with your friends today."

"Elliot, stay," Maggie said, her eyes filling with tears.

"I can't Maggie, I have to go back to work."

"Stay with me an' Livvy," Maggie whimpered, wrapping her arms around Elliot's neck.

"How about after daycare, you and Livvy and Brian and Jacob come over to my house for dinner?" Elliot suggested.

"El, it's a school night," Olivia reminded him. "We have homework and baths to take care of."

"It's not fair though that you have me over every night and take care of dinner and everything. I want to do my share."

Olivia smiled. "Then make dinner at my place, or we can do Friday night at your place. But during the week, I don't want to interrupt their routine."

"Okay," Elliot rubbed Maggie's back gently. "How about I come over for dinner tonight?"

"Pwomise?" Maggie whispered.

"Promise." Elliot kissed her cheek. "Bye sweetie."

"Bye-bye Elliot." Maggie answered, kissing Elliot's cheek.

Elliot placed Maggie on the ground and stood up to face Olivia. "Do you want me to take Jacob back to the infant room?"

"No, I'll do it in a little while. He's asleep now."

"Okay, Mommy," Elliot said with a smile. "I'll see you tonight."

"Thank you for coming."

"Like I said, no problem." He gave into temptation and brushed a kiss over her lips. It wasn't much, but it was as much as he'd get away with there. "I'll see you at 5:30?"

"Yep," Olivia smiled as her cheeks pinked slightly. "Miss you."

"Miss you too." As Elliot waved to Maggie and headed back to the office, he wondered why he couldn't get the image of Olivia cuddling Jacob out of his head. It was more than wanting her on a sexual level, it was wanting to help raise the kids, wanting to wake up with her and go to sleep with her in his arms. It was a kind of longing that he had never known, not even with Kathy.

"Have a nice lunch?" Munch asked teasingly as Elliot walked into the station, still shaken by the realization that after a mere two weeks of dating, he was already planning a future with his partner, one that involved her being his partner in every way. "How are Olivia and the little angel?"

"They're fine, why?"

"Just wondering how a certain little girl who doesn't do well with men finds herself all cuddled in your lap. You must spend an awful lot of time with the kids for them to be so comfortable with you."

"I have been," Elliot answered. "I've been giving Olivia a hand most nights. Besides, Maggie warmed up to you yesterday."

"A hand with what though?" Munch mumbled, almost to himself.

"What?" Elliot asked, arching his eyebrows.

"Nothing, nothing," Munch said with a knowing smile.

"Right," Elliot said, giving Munch a strange look as sat down in his desk and glanced over at the empty desk across from him, desperately missing the woman who sat there.

Across town, Mrs. Johnson smiled at her class. "Okay everybody, it's story time, then nap time. Everyone come sit on the magic carpet."

Maggie ran over to Olivia and took her hand. "Come to story time, Livvy."

"Why don't you go sit on the magic carpet and I'll listen from here?" Olivia suggested.

Maggie shook her head stubbornly. "I want you to come too," she said, tears welling in her eyes.

Olivia knew she probably she shouldn't, but Maggie had made such progress that day that she figured giving in a little wouldn't hurt. "Okay," she agreed, allowing Maggie to drag her over to the rug, stifling the moan of pain when she straightened. When she sat down, Maggie climbed into her lap, sticking her fingers in her mouth and sucking as she leaned contentedly against Olivia's chest.

Maggie's friends, Jenna and Elise, sat on either side of Olivia, also cuddled close, missing their mothers. Olivia reached up and gently removed Maggie's fingers from her mouth. "Big girls don't suck their fingers, honey," she reminded her gently as she began rubbing Maggie's back.

After story time, it was nap time. Olivia tucked Maggie onto the mat and kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight sweetie."

"Will you be here after nap time?" Maggie asked, holding onto her hand tightly.

"Right here."

"Are you napping too?"

Olivia laughed softly. "Not today, Mags. But you have sweet dreams."

"Okay. Love you, Livvy."

"I love you too, baby."

That night, Maggie was bubbling over with excitement from her day at daycare with Olivia. Between Brian talking about his new class computer assignment and Maggie talking about daycare and her new friends, it was impossible for Elliot and Olivia to get a word in edgewise. After dinner, Olivia began helping Brian with his computer project while Elliot cleaned up the kitchen and played with Maggie.

The next few days continued to go better for Maggie, with Olivia leaving a little earlier everyday. And every night, it became more and more obvious just how attached Maggie was getting to Elliot.

Wednesday was Olivia's meeting with the new social worker. Muriel Smythe arrived at the townhouse at exactly 7:30. Olivia had wanted a later meeting so dinner would be over and cleaned up.

Brian raced to the door when the bell rang and paused. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Muriel Smythe, I'm your new social worker," the woman answered.

Brian nodded and opened the door. He eyed the woman solemnly. "I'm Brian," he said finally.

"It's nice to meet you," Muriel said with a smile. "Is Olivia home?"

Brian nodded. "She's changing Jacob's diaper. She said I could answer the door because you were coming, as long as I remembered to ask who it was."

"Well that's very good of you to remember," Muriel tried to keep from laughing. "Can I come in?"

Brian nodded. "Okay. Olivia will be down soon."

Muriel nodded and sat on the couch. "What's it like living with Olivia?"

"I like it. Olivia's really nice and Elliot's here a lot."

"Who's Elliot?"

"He's Olivia's partner at work. He's really nice." Brian's brow furrowed. "What happened to the other guy?"

"Did you like Mr. O'Connor?"

Brian shook his head. "He was mean. He tried to pretend he was nice, but he wasn't. And he was mean to Olivia and Maggie hated him."

Muriel nodded as Olivia walked down the stairs, sizing up the new social worker. She looked to be about 55 with light brown hair and gentle eyes. And she seemed to be passing Brian's test, at least so far. "Hello, I'm Olivia Benson," Olivia said as she entered the room, Jacob in one arm and Maggie clinging to the other hand.

Muriel smiled, standing up. "Muriel Smythe, nice to meet you, Detective Benson."

"Olivia, please. Brian, are you sure all your homework's done?"

Brian nodded. "Can we go to the park now?"

Olivia glanced at Muriel. "I thought maybe we could head over to the park and let the kids play while we talk. It might be easier for them."

"I'll have to do a walk through of the house."

"I know. Would you like to do this now? The kids will need baths when we get home."

"That sounds all right."

"Brian, honey can you get your shoes on and grab your coat?" Olivia asked gently. "Maggie's too?"

"Okay," Brian said, holding out his hand. "Come on Maggie." He led his sister to the front closet as Olivia took Muriel upstairs. "This is my room. I have Jacob in here, so when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he doesn't wake Brian and Maggie."

"Does he still wake up?"

"Not as much. Actually, he slept through the night the other night. It scared me half to death when I woke up and realized the time."

"That sounds about right," Muriel chuckled. "Where do Maggie and Brian sleep?"

"This is Maggie's room," Olivia said, opening the door.

Muriel looked in and nodded. "And Brian?"

"In here," Olivia showed her Brian's room.

"I'm surprised you have so many toys for them, according to your file, you've never fostered children before."

Olivia nodded. "When I took them in, I didn't have anything for kids. But they're living here and I want them to be happy."

Muriel raised an eyebrow. "You think buying them toys will make those kids happy?"

Olivia bit back a sigh. "No. I know that they can have all the toys in the world and if they don't have a parent who loves them, something will always be missing. I love them with all my heart, all of them. But they're still kids and they need things to play with."

Muriel nodded. "Why don't we head down to the park? It's a school night."

"Sounds good." Olivia followed Muriel down the stairs. "Brian, Maggie, are you guys ready?"

"Yep," Brian said with a tentative smile. "Can I ride my bike?"

"With helmet?" Olivia asked with a grin.

Brian sighed. "Do I have to, they look so dorky!"

"If you want to ride the bike, you'll wear the helmet, buddy. I don't want to be scraping your brains off someone's nice clean sidewalk."

Brian giggled. "Okay, I'll wear it."

"That's my boy," Olivia grinned.

"Me too, Livvy?" Maggie asked, tugging on her arm.

"Can you ride your bike?" Maggie nodded. "Will you wear your helmet?"

Maggie nodded again. "It's pretty."

"Yes it is. Let's go play."

As they walked to the park, Olivia pushed Jacob, bundled in the stroller while Brian and Maggie rode ahead. Once they arrived, Brian jumped off his bike and raced for the monkey bars. Maggie linked hands with Olivia and looked up at her. "Swings, Livvy?"

Olivia smiled. "Okay, we'll play on the swings for a little while."

While Olivia and Maggie played on the swings, Muriel walked over to Brian. "Hi," she said with a smile.

Brian looked down at her consideringly. She looked nicer than Mr. O'Connor had. "Hi."

"So, you started school again a few weeks ago?"

Brian nodded. "I'm in third grade."

"What are your favorite subjects?"

Brian blushed. "I like history."

"History's pretty cool," Muriel agreed. "What do you do after school?"

"I go to daycare. Then Olivia and Elliot pick us up and we go home and have dinner. After dinner, Olivia and Elliot play a game with Maggie and me. Then I take a shower. Then Olivia and me read and I go to sleep. Sometimes, instead of playing a game, Olivia and Elliot take us to the park."

Muriel smiled. "Do you take a shower every night?"

"Yeah," Brian said with 8-year-old disgust. "Olivia said I have to."

Muriel chuckled. "Do you like living with Olivia?"

Brian nodded. "She's a good mom. She takes really good care of us. And she loves us lots. We love her too."

Across the park, Olivia sat on the swing with Maggie, pushing them back and forth. "Honey, Muriel is a social worker. Like Mr. O'Connor was. Do you remember him?"

Maggie frowned. "Don't like him."

Olivia tried to keep a serious expression on her face. "I know. But Muriel is nice. She wants to make sure that you and Brian and Jacob are happy. But she's going to have to talk to you."

"You too, Livvy."

Olivia smiled and brushed a kiss over the top of Maggie's head. "I'm sorry sweetie. Muriel has to talk to you alone. But I'll be sitting right over there on the bench with Jacob. Okay? You can still see me."

"You gonna leave," Maggie whimpered, wrapping her arms tightly around Olivia's neck.

Olivia sighed. "Maggie baby, I'm not going to leave you. And remember what I said about always coming back for you?"

Maggie nodded. "Love you, Livvy."

"I love you too," Olivia said with a smile as she saw Muriel coming over to them. "Just tell her the truth, okay?"

Maggie nodded. "Lying's bad."

"Yes it is," Olivia chuckled.

Muriel arrived at the swings and smiled. "Hi Maggie."

Olivia stood up, placing Maggie on the ground. "Sweetie, I'm going to go sit on the bench with Jacob, okay? I'll be right here."

Maggie latched onto Olivia's hand for a minute, then nodded slowly and let go, even though she was still sucking on her fingers.

As Olivia walked away, Muriel smiled at the little blonde girl in front of her. "How do you like daycare, Maggie?"

Maggie paused. "Livvy comes too."

"What do you mean Livvy comes too?" Muriel asked, confused. "You mean when she drops you off and picks you up?"

Maggie shook her head. "All day."

"Maggie didn't like daycare, she didn't like Olivia leaving," Brian explained, drawing next to his sister.

"What did Olivia do about that?" Muriel asked, admiring the way Brian was trying to protect his sister.

"She went to daycare with Maggie yesterday and today," Brian answered. "She's going everyday this week."

Muriel smiled. "That sounds like fun. Do you like living with Livvy, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded, smiling shyly. "I love Livvy."

"What's your favorite part of living with Livvy?" Muriel asked.

Maggie paused, thinking. "Livvy plays with me."

"How about you, Brian?"

Brian paused, trying to think of how to explain what he was feeling. "Olivia takes care of us. I go to school now and I have friends. We're not hungry all the time. And I know that she and Elliot won't let anything bad happen to us."

Muriel smiled, touched by his honesty. "Is there anything you'd change about it?"

Brian smiled slightly. "Olivia and Elliot would get married. Then Olivia would be our mom and Elliot would be our dad and we'd have a real family."

Muriel chuckled. "I don't know if that could happen, but it's a nice wish."

As they walked back to the townhouse, Muriel glanced sideways at Olivia. "Do you have a plan for what happens if you have to go to a crime scene in the middle of the night?"

Olivia nodded. "I've made arrangements with my partner's daughter to watch the kids if I have to go in."

"How old is this girl?"

"Nineteen. She's a sophomore at NYU."

"Okay." They arrived at the house and Muriel smiled. "I'll call in a few weeks to set up another appointment."

Olivia nodded. "No problem. You have my work number?"

"It's in your folder. It was nice meeting you, Detective and I look forward to working with you."

"You too," Olivia said, and meant it.

"Bye, Brian! Bye, Maggie!" Muriel called, then paused when a car pulled up and the most drop dead gorgeous man she'd ever seen exited the car. He oozed sexuality, something she'd been convinced only happened in smutty romance novels.

"Elliot!" Maggie squealed, racing down the stairs and into Elliot's arms.

"Hi sweetie," Elliot grinned, kissing her cheek as he lifted her into his arms. "Did you just get back from the park?"

Maggie grinned and nodded. "I swinged."

"That sounds fun," Elliot said as Brian ran up and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Hey buddy."

"Why are you so late?" Brian asked, looking up at him.

"I had to take care of some stuff for work. But I'm here now."

Olivia grinned as Muriel walked back from her car and held her hand out to Elliot. "Hello, I'm Muriel Smythe, the children's new caseworker."

Elliot smiled and shook the woman's hand. "Detective Elliot Stabler."

"I should have guessed, based on Brian and Maggie's reactions. You've made quite an impression on them."

Elliot smiled, stroking a hand over Brian's hair. "If it's half of the impression they've made on me, then I'm very glad."

Muriel frowned and flipped open the file she had on the Allen children. "According to my notes, one of the reasons you requested a new caseworker was that Maggie is scared of men?" she asked Olivia.

Olivia nodded as she handed Elliot her keys. "Why don't you take Brian and Maggie inside?" she suggested. "We'll be right in."

Elliot nodded. "Do you want me to take Jacob?"

"No, he's okay." Olivia waited until Elliot had ushered the older children inside, Brian watching her curiously until Elliot shut the door behind them. "Maggie is afraid of men. She was sexually molested by at least one man."

"She seems to get along with Detective Stabler just fine."

Olivia smiled, looking at the house. "Elliot's been very active in their lives almost since I found them. He came to the hospital while they were getting checked out and has spent almost every evening with us. It took her awhile to warm up to him, but Elliot was great. He never forced Maggie, he was just always there."

"He seems to be very close to Brian too."

Olivia beamed, nodding. "Brian's desperate for a male role model. Elliot's the closest thing he's ever had to a dad. He just shines whenever Elliot's around."

"It's great that he has a man to look up to," Muriel said with a smile. "I'm guessing Detective Stabler's daughter is the one who will baby-sit for you?"

"Actually, his two older daughters both want to baby-sit for the kids," Olivia laughed. "But his oldest is the one I have on call."

"How many children does Detective Stabler have?" Muriel asked.

"Four. Three girls and a boy."

"How do they get along with Brian and Maggie?"

"Amazingly. Dickie and Brian are joined at the hip and Maggie follows Lizzie around like a puppy."

"Do they spend much time together?"

"Elliot only has the kids every other weekend, so they've been together once. But he has them again this weekend and I imagine we'll get to spend some more time together."

Muriel nodded. "I'd better get back to the office and finish up my reports. Have a good evening, I'll be in touch."

As she drove away, Olivia walked into the house to find Elliot playing with the kids in the living room. "How did it go?" he asked.

Olivia smiled as she lifted Jacob out of the stroller and cuddled him to her. "I think it went really well. I thought you couldn't come by tonight," she said, sitting on the floor next to him.

Elliot shrugged. "I wanted to see how your meeting went." He paused, then slid an arm around Olivia's waist. "And I missed you guys."

"You did?" Maggie asked in amazement.

"Sure I did, Maggie Mae," Elliot chuckled. "I missed you lots and lots."

Maggie grinned and rested her head on Elliot's shoulder. "Misseded you too," she said with a yawn.

"Sounds like someone played hard at the park tonight."

"Yeah, it's bedtime," Olivia smiled. "Do you want to give Jacob a bath while I throw Maggie here into the tub?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Elliot read to me too," Maggie mumbled as she was transferred into Olivia's arms.

"I would love to read to you hon," Elliot grinned as he and Olivia headed upstairs. "But are you sure you'll still be awake by story time?"

Maggie nodded even as Olivia shook her head. "I have a feeling she'll be asleep before we finish one story," Olivia whispered, looking at the sleepy child in her arms.

After settling the kids into bed, Olivia sat on the couch and pulled Elliot so he was leaning against her chest with her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "That went so much better than last time," she said, grinning.

Elliot chuckled. "Hon, it couldn't have gone much worse than last time. I'm sorry I interrupted though, I thought you'd be done by the time I got here."

"It's okay, Muriel was very impressed by you." Olivia said as she leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek.

"She seemed nice and like she cared about the kids. More so than that other asshole."

"I got that too. Plus, she was checking out your very nice ass."

Elliot sat up quickly. "She was not!"

"Of course she was," Olivia laughed. "I should know, I've spent enough time staring at it."

Elliot tipped his head back to catch her lips with his. "You're allowed to stare at it. She's not."

"I'll keep that in mind," Olivia chuckled as she kissed him back, sinking into the feeling of his lips on hers.

Elliot slid around so he was laying over her, supporting himself on his elbows. He brushed his lips over hers teasingly before fusing his mouth to hers. Olivia moaned with need. Desperate to feel his skin, she slid her hands into the waistband of his pants, stroking the bare skin and scraping her nails over his firm ass.

Elliot gasped, his eyes widening. "Liv," he gasped.

"Hm," she hummed, reaching up to trace her tongue over Elliot's ear.

"Liv, we have to stop," Elliot moaned.

Olivia sighed and reluctantly removed her hands from Elliot's pants, even as she kissed him once more longingly. Elliot pushed himself up slowly with a look of frustration on his face. He sat on the other end of the couch and pulled Olivia's feet into his lap, rubbing them gently.

"This is killing me, El," she sighed, throwing her head back in frustration.

"I know babe," Elliot agree with a sigh. He moved her feet so she could see the effect she'd had on him.

"Then why are we waiting," Olivia groaned.

"Because I'm going to give you romance if it kills me."

Olivia sighed. "Okay, romance it is."

Elliot chuckled. "I'm glad you agree. So, what are we doing this weekend?" he asked with a smile

"You have your kids, and Brian has his play date on Saturday. Why don't we do something on Sunday?"

"How about Friday night?"

"We don't have any plans. What were you thinking of?"

"Pizza and a movie at my place?"

"That sounds nice," Olivia said, reaching up to kiss him gently. "Can we find a movie that's okay for Maggie and won't bore the older kids?"

"I'm sure we'll find something."

"Won't your kids mind sharing you again? They spent all weekend with us last time."

"And we all loved it," he assured her. "Every time I've talked to them over the last two weeks, Dickie asks when Brian can come over and play video games, Katie asks when she can baby-sit, and Liz wants to come over and play with Maggie. They'd be disappointed if we didn't spend time with you guys." Elliot kissed the tip of Olivia's nose. "And so would I."

"We would be too. I just didn't want to hog all of your time with your kids."

"You're not hogging. You and the kids are part of my life, an important part. The sooner everyone get used to that, the better."

"Did you tell them about us?" Olivia asked, surprised.

Elliot shook his head. "I want to, but you wanted to keep it a secret for awhile. My kids already love you, Olivia and that's not going to change because we're dating."

"I'm worried about work though. I don't want to put our jobs in jeopardy. If we have any hope of Cragen not reassigning both of us, we need to prove that our work and solve rate won't suffer. Which means giving it time. Plus, your kids like me as a friend, your partner. But I don't want them to hate me just because I'm the first woman you've dated."

"I know, and they won't," Elliot began stroking the back of her neck as he kissed her jaw gently. "But I want to be out in the open about this. I want to tell everybody that I'm dating the most wonderful woman in the world.

"Elliot," she said softly as her cheeks pinked.

"You are," he insisted as he slowly kissed backwards, down to the nape of her neck. As he traveled back up the other side, he stopped at the spot behind her ear and placed several warm, loving kisses there. Then he pulled back and blew gently on the spot. Olivia gasped as goose bumps rose on her skin. "You're beautiful and loving, you took three children in and are raising them like they were your own. You're smart and intuitive. I'm so lucky to be with you."

Olivia was blushing deep red when she turned so she could wrap her arms around Elliot's neck. She shifted, leaning back and pulling Elliot with her until he lay on top of her, supporting himself on his forearms while her arms remained twined around him. "It just so happens, I think I'm pretty lucky to be with you too." She reached up and pressed her lips against his before slowly kissing along his jaw, scraping her teeth across the 5 o'clock shadow that darkened his jaw, making him look only sexier. Few men could get away with looking scruffy, but Elliot wore the look perfectly.

Elliot moaned as Olivia shifted, pressing her hips against his. He knew she could feel his reaction by the chuckle next to his ear. She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him closer, only their clothing separating them. Elliot's arms grew weak and he collapsed onto her. "God, Liv," he groaned. In retaliation he slid one hand between them to cup her breast as his thumb stroked over her nipple.

Olivia pulled him tighter as her hips ground against his groin. They were playing with fire and she knew it, but it felt so good. Elliot's hands were roaming over her body when one found its way to the hem of her dark blue shirt and slid inside. Elliot stroked his fingers slowly over her waist but refused to remove the shirt from her body. Frustrated by the amount of clothing between them and the fact that Elliot's hand refused to move further up her body, Olivia took matters into her own hands and reached down to remove the shirt herself.

"Wha?" she asked in confusion when Elliot's hands reached down and covered hers, stopping her progress.

"Not now," he whispered, kissing her gently. "Not here. This is important. I want it to be special."

Olivia sat up slightly and cupped his cheek gently. "It will be special Elliot. No matter what, it'll be special because it's us."

"You're right. But that doesn't mean I don't want to give you romance and candles and flowers."

"I don't need those things, I need you."

Elliot grinned and brushed a brief kiss over her lips, wondering how he'd been so lucky to find love right in front of his face. "You might not need them, but you deserve them. You deserve everything, Olivia."

"But I have everything I want right here. I have you and the kids and work."

Elliot grinned, but refused to relent. "Next weekend, you, me, my apartment, and romance galore."

"What about the kids?"

"I have a feeling I know of two young women who will be more than willing to baby-sit and one little girl who will be more than willing to help them."

"I can't ask one of your daughters to baby-sit so I can seduce their father!"

"How about if I ask them to baby-sit so their father can seduce his incredibly sexy girlfriend?"

"I'm just not sure that I'm comfortable with your kids knowing about us yet. And certainly not with them knowing that we'll be having sex."

"Liv? I was kidding, babe. When we tell them about us, it'll be both of us. We're in this together."

She smiled. "Thanks. I know you don't like waiting…"

"I don't mind waiting for some things. And this will be more than worth it." Elliot kissed her again, long and lingering. But when she reached up to draw him back down to her, Elliot pulled away. "I need to go home before things get out of control."

"You always do this," Olivia murmured.

"I promise next weekend, I'll be saying anything but stop."

"I'm looking forward to it," Olivia whispered.

"What time are you in tomorrow morning?" Elliot asked, standing and pulling her to her feet.

"I should be there by 10:30," she answered as they walked to the door.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow morning," Elliot kissed her almost desperately.

"You could stay," Olivia offered with a seductive smile.

"Not yet." Elliot kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight, Olivia."

'Yeah right,' Olivia thought to herself as Elliot pulled away. She didn't think she'd get any sleeping done that night.

The next day, Olivia walked Maggie into her classroom. She watched as Maggie hung up her coat and backpack, grabbed her doll, and raced off to play with her friends. Olivia grinned. It had taken most of the week, but Maggie was finally comfortable at daycare. She'd teared up a little when Olivia left on Wednesday, but as Olivia left earlier and earlier, Maggie continued to get better at being left.

By 10:00, Olivia had kissed Maggie good-bye, checked on Jacob one more time, and was on her way to the station. When she got there, Elliot was watching the door. "How'd it go?"

"Great, actually. She didn't cry at all and was busy playing with her friends by the time I kissed her good bye and left."

Elliot grinned. "Good. She's been getting more confident all week. Do you think it'll carry over into next week?"

"I hope so. What's on the agenda for today? Any new cases?"

Elliot grinned. "Actually, Munch and Fin think they've found Velez's new hideout. We have unmarked cars cruising the area and keeping a watch on the place. Hopefully we'll be able to get some proof so then we can get them in jail where they belong."

"And Alex can come home," Olivia said so only Elliot could hear.

"Elliot, Olivia, head down to Roosevelt Hospital," Cragen called. "There's a vic there."

"Got it," they said, heading out the door.

That night, Olivia arrived at Elliot's house at 6:15. Brian waited wide-eyed for the door to open while Maggie clung to her hand and Jacob cooed in her other arm.

Elliot opened the door and beamed at the woman in front of him, then looked down as two pairs of arms wrapped around him. The blue eyes of Brian and Maggie stared up at him. "Hi, guys," Elliot said with a grin as he hugged them back. "Everybody's inside if you wanna go in and see them."

Brian hurried in and Elliot could hear him greeting Dickie. Maggie stared up at him with big eyes and lifted her arms. "Carry me?"

Elliot chuckled. "Okay Miss Maggie, up we go." He lifted her into his arms as he bent forwards and brushed a kiss over Olivia's cheek.

"Come on in," he said with a warm smile as he took her hand in his own.

Olivia followed Elliot into the apartment and looked around. There were boxes of pizza on the kitchen counter and Elliot had pushed the living room furniture back to make a space on the floor for the kids. Brian and Dickie were already lying on big pillows and playing a video game.

When she saw the kids, Maggie began squirming to get down. "Lizzie!" She exclaimed. "Katie! Hi!"

"Hey Maggie," Liz said, taking Maggie from her father. "Wanna go play in my room?"

"With Katie?"

"Yep," Liz carried Maggie off to her room.

Kathleen walked up to Olivia and smiled. "Can I take Jacob?"

Olivia paused, then handed the baby over. "If you need anything, I have the diaper bag here."

"No problem, we'll be fine," Kathleen assured her. "We'll have lots of fun, won't we Jacob?"

Olivia looked around and laughed. "I guess we're not needed here."

"They get along so well," Elliot beamed. "Is Brian excited to go to Alex's tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah. He's hardly stopped talking about it. What are you guys doing tomorrow?"

"Dickie wants to go to the batting cages and mini golf tomorrow night, if you're interested."

"Sounds like fun. I'll have to ask the kids, but I bet they'll want to. What time?"

"Maybe 5:30 or so. Why don't you call when Brian gets back from Alex's?"

"It's a date."

Elliot leered. "I wish. Want to call them for dinner?"

Olivia nodded and stuck her head into the living room. "Hey guys, go wash up for dinner, okay?"

As Dickie and Brian raced for the bathroom, Olivia walked into the room Lizzie and Kathleen shared. She found Maggie basking in the attention of the older girl, Lizzie's stuffed animals spread out on the floor.

"Livvy, look!" Maggie exclaimed, holding up an armload of stuffed animals.

"Wow, you have a whole zoo there. It's awfully nice of Lizzie to let you play with her toys."

Lizzie shrugged. "She's having fun, and they're the only toys I really have here."

"Well you'll have to put the animals to bed for a little while because it's dinner time."

"Come on, Maggie," Lizzie said, standing and taking Maggie's hand in her own. "Let's go wash our hands."

Olivia smiled as she watched Lizzie lead Maggie to the bathroom, Maggie chattering away with a look of adoration on her face.

"Lizzie loves getting to be the 'big sister' for once." Elliot said softly as he walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"She loves it because she doesn't have a younger sibling tagging along after her everyday."

"I don't know. I have a feeling she'd like it everyday even more."

"Well she'll have to be happy with every other weekend."

"Hey Dad! Are we going to eat or just let the pizza get cold?" Dickie yelled from the kitchen.

Elliot felt Olivia's laughter echo through her body. "If we don't get in there, there won't be anything left for us," she said, turning around in his arms.

"I don't think pizza is what I'm hungry for," Elliot said softly, kissing below Olivia's ear.

"Oh God," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Kids are eating…my bedroom door has a lock…"

"Olivia, Elliot, come on!" Brian yelled. "Dickie and me are going to eat all the pizza!"

Elliot laughed. "Having a relationship with seven kids, you don't get much privacy."

"No kidding," Olivia whispered. She reached up and fused her mouth to his. Feeling Elliot grow aroused against her, Olivia drew back with a seductive smile on her face. "Maybe we can slip away for a bit when they're watching the movie."

"Sounds good. But right now, we'd better go check on our kids."

They walked into the kitchen to find the kids sitting around the table, waiting. "It's about time!" Dickie exclaimed. "What took so long?"

"Uh, your dad and I were talking," Olivia said quickly.

Kathleen watched both adults blush and leaned over as her father sat next to her. "Nice lipstick, Daddy."

Elliot felt his cheeks heat and reached into the center of the table for a piece of pizza. He risked a sidelong glance at Olivia to see her trying to cover a look of panic. He reached under the table and linked fingers with her, gently stroking the palm of her hand.

Olivia glanced at him and smiled slightly. After dinner, they piled into the living room. Dickie and Brian were sprawled over two recliners while Liz and Kathleen sat on the couch, Maggie tucked in between them. Elliot pulled an ottoman over to the couch and settled against the back of the couch, his legs propped up on the ottoman. When Olivia would have situated herself on the floor, Elliot shook his head and patted the ottoman in front of him. Olivia glanced at the kids and, seeing them engrossed in the previews of the movie, settled on the ottoman. Elliot grinned and looped his arms around her waist, drawing her back against his chest.

As they watched "Monsters, Inc.", Olivia looked around the living room at the kids who were sprawled over the furniture. "They look happy," she whispered, leaning back into his embrace further.

"They look like a family," Elliot whispered back. "Like they've known each other their whole lives, not just a few weeks."

Olivia smiled. She bent over and lifted Jacob into her arms, cradling him to her. Elliot's arms shifted so he could reach up and play with the baby's fingers. Halfway through the movie, Elliot hit the stop button.

"Hey!" Dickie exclaimed, sitting up quickly. "What'd you do that for?"

"I wasn't sure if anyone would want ice cream," Elliot said with a grin. "I bought the makings of a sundae bar."

"OOH!" Kathleen squealed. "Cherries?"

"Of course. And chocolate sauce and whipped cream and sprinkles."

"I get first scoop!" Kathleen exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and racing towards the kitchen.

"No way!" Dickie yelled as he and Brian chased after Kathleen, Liz and Maggie on their heels.

"Guess I said the magic words," Elliot chuckled.

"Yep, we should probably go help them," Olivia said, reluctantly laying Jacob back in the carrier and moving out of Elliot's arms to stand.

"Kathleen can handle it," Elliot said, reaching out and catching her hands in his, pulling her back until she was straddling his lap.

Olivia leaned over and risked a brief kiss. "Maybe, but I want ice cream too."

"No problem," Elliot grinned. "Katie, can you bring Olivia and me some ice cream?"

"What do you guys want?" Kathleen yelled back.

"Everything!" Elliot called. He smiled lovingly at Olivia. "See? Now we have five minutes of privacy and we still get our dessert."

"You're a sneaky man, Elliot Stabler," Olivia laughed as she settled against his chest and kissed him longingly.

"Dickie, if you're going in there, bring Dad and Olivia their ice cream," Kathleen called, a bit more loudly than necessary.

"I think she suspects something," Olivia said softly as she broke the kiss.

Elliot nodded. "I'd bet money on it."

"Here you guys go," Brian said as he and Dickie walked into the living room. He handed Olivia a huge bowl of ice cream and two spoons. "Katie said you guys should share."

"Oh," Olivia's eyes grew big. "Uh, thanks honey. Are the girls coming back?"

"Yeah, they're cleaning up," Dickie answered as he flopped onto the recliner.

Elliot arched an eyebrow. "And why aren't you helping your sisters, young man?"

"Because they said we'd be more help staying out of their way," Brian answered.

"That's probably true," Elliot murmured into Olivia's neck and she chuckled. "You want some?" he offered up a spoonful of ice cream.

Olivia grinned and nodded, opening her mouth. Elliot slid the spoon into her mouth and when she closed her lips over it, he all but groaned. With a grin, he leaned over and kissed the corner of her mouth, his tongue moving to lick determinedly. When he pulled back, Olivia's eyes bore questioningly into his.

"You had chocolate," he explained with a shit-eating grin.

Olivia grinned back and swiped her finger through the whipped cream on top of the sundae and dabbed it on his nose. Elliot let out a surprised squawk. Keeping his eyes on her, he deliberately set the ice cream on the end table next to the couch and wiped the whipped cream off his nose onto a napkin. Then he reached over, grabbing both of her wrists in one hand, and began to tickle her mercilessly.

Olivia let out a squeal. "Elliot!" she laughed hysterically. "Stop it!"

Dickie grinned devilishly. "Get Olivia!" he exclaimed.

The next thing Olivia knew, both boys had joined in tickling her. "NO!" she exclaimed around her laughter. "Girls, help me!"

Maggie watched with big eyes. "Lizzie?" she asked, climbing into the older girl's lap. "Is they hurting Livvy?"

"No sweetie, they're tickling her, like this," Lizzie answered, tickling Maggie's ribs gently. "It makes Livvy laugh."

"Why's she need help?"

Lizzie grinned. "Because now we can get the boys." With that, Lizzie set Maggie on the couch and dove at her twin.

Kathleen followed suit, tickling Brian until he was laughing and begging for mercy. Maggie watched in awe for a few minutes before she crawled across the couch and tentatively danced her little fingers up and down Elliot's ribs.

Elliot let out a surprised shout and twisted, pulling Maggie into his arms as well. "Oh, you think you can sneak up on me, do you?" he growled playfully, tickling her back.

Olivia beamed at Maggie's laughter, then took advantage of Elliot's distraction to attack his ribs.

"Mercy!" Elliot yelped as both Maggie and Olivia tried to tickle him. "Uncle!"

Olivia laughed as she pulled Maggie into her lap. "Good job honey, we got him!"

Maggie giggled. "We won!"

"Yep, we won."

"I let you win," Elliot objected.

"Sure," Olivia chuckled as Lizzie let out a shriek and jumped away from her brother, clutching her rear end.

"Dickie! Ow!" she yelled. "Dad, he gave me a wedgie!"

Dickie was laughing so hard he couldn't talk, much less defend himself. Elliot raised an eyebrow at his only son. "Richard, we've talked about this," he scolded.

"I know," Dickie managed. "But it's so funny! But Maureen and Katie are better."

"Why are they better?" Olivia asked, confused.

"Because they wear thongs!" Dickie exclaimed.

"Oh, you're dead meat kid," Kathleen exclaimed, launching herself at her brother.

Experience had Elliot moving Olivia and Maggie off to the side, then setting himself between his children. "Kathleen," he warned. "No blood shed on the clean carpet."

"Dad, he didn't need to tell everyone that!"

"Don't worry Kathleen," Olivia said with an understanding smile. "Brothers are made to embarrass you."

"What's a thong?" Brian asked curiously.

"It's underwear that girls wear," Dickie exclaimed. "But instead of having a butt, it has a string that goes up your butt so it's like a having a wedgie all the time!"

"Ugh, why do they wear them?" Brian asked.

"Because…because we do!" Kathleen exclaimed.

"Well Olivia's smarter than that," Brian said loyally. "Aren't you?"

"Oh…well…uh…that's private Bri," Olivia answered, blushing bright red. "Isn't your guys' ice cream melting?"

"Oh yeah!" Brian exclaimed. Both he and Dickie grabbed their dessert and settled down to watch the end of the movie. Lizzie and Kathleen watched them distrustfully until they were sure that no more tickling would ensue before settling themselves in also. Maggie climbed off Olivia's lap to sit in Lizzie's, cuddling close as Lizzie stroked her hair gently.

After a few minutes, Lizzie reached over and tapped Olivia's leg. "Look," she whispered, gesturing to Maggie.

Olivia looked down and smiled. Maggie was half asleep in Lizzie's lap, sucking on her fingers. "Do you want me to take her?" Olivia whispered.

Lizzie shook her head. "She's okay."

Jacob let out a testy wail a few minutes later and Olivia lifted him out of the carrier. She also grabbed a bottle from the diaper bag and went to the kitchen to warm it. When she came back, Kathleen grinned hopefully.

"Can I feed him?" she asked.

Olivia paused. "Sure. Make sure you burp him halfway through," she said, passing the fussing baby and bottle down to the teenager.

"Got it." Kathleen smiled up at Olivia and whispered, "You go cuddle with Dad."

Olivia paused. She wasn't prepared for that observation and wasn't sure how to respond. She ended up just kind of nodding and settling back on the couch. Elliot smiled and draped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. Olivia laid her head against his chest as Elliot began playing with her hair, stroking gently. Olivia hummed with contentment and wrapped an arm around his waist.

When the movie ended, Olivia stretched. "I think someone over here needs to hit the sack," she said, gesturing to Maggie.

"No, I wanna stay," Brian began to beg. "Please, just one more video game?"

"Bri, Maggie's passing out on Lizzie's lap. She needs to go to bed."

"No bed," Maggie said, sitting up and trying to force herself awake. "I wanna play!"

Olivia sighed. "How about we change you into your jamas and then you can play for a little while, okay?"

Maggie paused, thinking. "No bath?"

"Nope, we can take care of baths in the morning. Okay?"

Maggie nodded with a grin. "Okay."

Olivia stood and grabbed the diaper bag, rooting through it until she withdrew Maggie's pink princess pajamas. "Let's go sweetie."

"Lizzie too," Maggie said, latching onto Lizzie's sweater.

Olivia raised her eyebrows at Lizzie. "You mind?"

"Nope," Lizzie said, standing with Maggie in her arms.

When Olivia came back, Brian and Dickie were deeply engrossed in a video game, Katie was sitting on the couch, still rocking Jacob, and Elliot was nowhere to be found.

"He's in the kitchen," Kathleen said, not even looking up.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Olivia walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Elliot from behind. "Your daughter definitely knows something's up."

"She's smart. But if you've noticed, she doesn't have a problem with it. Where are the little girls?"

"They're playing in Lizzie's room. The boys are playing some video game, and Kathleen's getting awfully proprietary about Jacob."

Elliot chuckled. "I think you're going to have a hard time getting them home tonight, hon."

Olivia sighed. "I know. But hopefully, promising to see you guys tomorrow night will help ease the separation. You need help cleaning up in here?"

"Nope. That's the good thing about paper plates, very little clean up. And the girls did a good job with the ice cream."

Olivia nodded. "Elliot?" she asked tentatively. "Are you going to talk to Kathleen about us?"

"Are you okay with it if I do?" Elliot asked.

She sighed. "I'd rather you do that than have her just wondering and making up her own assumptions. Teenage girls have wild imaginations."

"That's very true. Do you want to be there when I do?"

"Only if you think it's best. Don't you think she'd feel, I don't know, ganged up on?"

"Babe, it takes a hell of a lot to intimidate Kathleen enough to have her tone down an opinion."

"I don't want her to resent our relationship."

"She won't," Elliot assured her, rubbing his hands up and down her back.

"I hope not," she answered, reaching up to kiss him gently.

"Hey Olivia?" Lizzie asked, walking into the kitchen. "I think you'd better come here."

"What's up?" Olivia asked, hurrying out of the room. "Is Maggie okay?"

"Oh, she's fine." Lizzie followed Olivia into her bedroom with Elliot on her heels.

Olivia took one look at the scene in front of her and began laughing silently. Maggie was lying in a pile of stuffed animals, sound asleep. One arm was wrapped tightly around a panda bear with her fingers stuck in her mouth.

"I think it's time I get someone home and into bed," Olivia chuckled. "How did this happen?"

"I was reading a story to her and she just fell asleep," Lizzie said with a shrug.

"Liv, why don't you get Jacob's things together, pry Brian away from the video game, and I'll get Maggie," Elliot suggested.

"Thanks." Olivia walked into the living room and quickly gathered Jacob's supplies and Maggie's clothes. "Brian, honey we have to head home. Maggie's fast asleep."

Brian sighed. "Can I play with Dickie tomorrow? I almost beat him!"

"What were you guys playing?"

"Simpsons' Speed Chase."

"How about batting cages and mini golf tomorrow night?" Olivia offered.

"Cool!" Brian exclaimed.

"But only if we head out now."

"Can I finish this game?"

"No, we really need to get going."

Brian sighed. "Okay. Bye Dickie, thanks for letting me play."

"Maybe we can play again tomorrow."

"Okay, bye!" Brian waved goodbye.

Olivia grinned and gave Dickie an one armed hug goodbye. "Kathleen," she said, turning to the teenager who cradled a sleeping Jacob. "You're going to have to give him up now."

"Oh, can't I keep him, just for a few days?" Kathleen teased with a grin.

"Sorry," Olivia laughed. "You don't need a baby waking you up in the middle of the night."

"He's so sweet, I wouldn't mind."

"Give it about ten years and I bet you'll have one of your own to keep you up at nights."

Kathleen sighed. "Okay, I guess if I have to give him back." She stood and laid Jacob in his car seat. "Can I carry him out to the car?"

"If you want," Olivia laughed as she tucked a blanket around the sleeping baby. She gathered the diaper bag and walked into the foyer. Elliot stood there with a very sleepy Maggie lying against his shoulder, still clutching the panda bear. "Maggie, baby let's give Lizzie back her bear now."

"It's okay Olivia," Lizzie spoke up. "She can keep him."

"Are you sure honey?" Olivia asked, stroking a hand over Lizzie's light auburn hair.

"I have plenty of stuffed animals. Maggie could probably use a few more."

Olivia blinked back tears as she wrapped her arms around Elliot's daughter and hugged her close. "Thank you sweetie. That was very sweet of you. Maggie baby, can you say thank you to Lizzie?"

"Sank you, Lizzie," Maggie mumbled, still clutching Elliot and the panda bear.

"You're welcome Maggie. Will you play with me again tomorrow?" Lizzie asked, reaching up to rub Maggie's back.

Maggie nodded sleepily and yawned. Elliot brushed a kiss over her forehead. "You'll see her tomorrow, Lizzie. Everyone else ready to go?"

Olivia nodded. "Brian, can you grab the diaper bag?"

"Got it," he grinned up at Olivia and Elliot.

They walked out to the car, Brian climbing in first. Next Olivia settled Jacob's car seat into the holder and made sure it was secure. After brushing a kiss over Jacob's cheek, she straightened and allowed Elliot to slip Maggie into the car. He gently buckled her in, then kissed the top of her head. "Good night Brian," he said, smiling at the boy. "I love you."

"Night, Elliot! I love you too! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yep. Night, Maggie. I love you."

"Love you too, Elliot," Maggie murmured, her head resting against the car seat from exhaustion.

Elliot beamed and kissed Maggie's cheek before standing up and looking at Olivia. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. "I can't believe she said that," he whispered into her neck.

"She does, you know."

"I know," Elliot grinned. "She's come so far and I'm so incredibly proud of her."

"You and me both." Olivia drew back to brush a kiss over his lips. "Thank you for having us over tonight. The kids had a great time."

"And you?" Elliot whispered, kissing gently along her jaw to her lips.

"Of course." She smiled as Elliot leaned her against the car, kissing her thoroughly. One hand cupped her hair while the other slid down her waist to rest on her hip, his thumb stroking gently over her hip bone.

Olivia sighed into his mouth as he stroked her tongue with his own. She slid one hand up the nape of his neck so she could rake her fingers through his hair. Her other hand slid down to cup his buttocks, squeezing gently.

"You and the kids could stay," Elliot whispered.

The mention of her children had Olivia crashing back to reality. In a flash, she had pushed him away. "Elliot, the kids are watching."

He chuckled. "With Kathleen's suspicions, you'd better believe it."

"Yeah, well mine might be a little harder to explain it to. And Brian will definitely ask those questions."

"Maybe I won't be the only one having a talk with my kids tonight, huh?" Elliot asked with a soft smile.

"Seems like I have to do that with them on a daily basis."

"Yep," Elliot chuckled. "That's part of parenthood, babe."

Olivia nodded. "I'd better get the little ones home though; it's awfully late for them." She paused. "Do you want me to call when I get them down?"

Elliot smiled and cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone. "I'd love that. But in case I'm still talking to Katie, why don't I call you?"

"Okay. And we'll figure out tomorrow?"

"Yep." Elliot brushed his lips over hers gently. "Good luck with the questions."

"You too."

"Talk to you later," Elliot said, knowing he was stalling, but not wanting to release her.

Olivia smiled and rose on her toes to kiss him once more. "Go talk to your daughter, El. I have to go have a talk with my son."

"Right." Elliot reluctantly released her and opened the car door, allowing her to slide in. "Night, guys," he said to the kids in the backseat.

"Night Elliot," Brian grinned. Maggie just waved sleepily.

Elliot chuckled softly. "Be safe driving home, Liv."

"I will. Tell the kids goodnight for me again."

Elliot nodded and waved as Olivia drove away, then walked into the house to face the questions he knew were coming. He looked around the living room, surprised to only find Kathleen sitting there. "Where are the twins?"

"In bed."

Elliot's eyebrows arched almost to his hairline. "In bed? How did you get them into bed so easily? I didn't hear any screams and I don't see any blood. Okay, how'd you do it?"

Kathleen looked somewhat guiltily towards the bedrooms. "Sorry dad, I can't tell you. Secrets of being a big sister and all. But I have a question for you."

"Uh, okay, shoot. But first, I'm not going to find your brother and sister bound and gagged in their rooms, am I?"

Kathleen laughed. "No, I promise."

"Okay then. What's on your mind?"

"How long have you and Olivia been dating?"

Elliot blinked at the bluntness of his daughter's question. "Uh, what makes you think Olivia and I are dating?"

"Well, not that I'm complaining, but we've spent the last two weekends with Olivia and the kids."

"I know, I've been trying to help Olivia adjust to parenthood. Plus, the kids have never had a father."

"I know. But there's more between you and Olivia than friends, Dad. Don't try to lie to me, I saw you kissing her tonight. And not like you'd kiss a friend either. I'm not stupid, I have eyes and an idiot could pick up on the sexual tension between you two."

Elliot sighed. "Olivia and I have been seeing each other more or less since she found the kids."

"But that's only been about three weeks then."

Elliot nodded. "Yep."

"So you guys weren't together when you and Mom were still married?" Katie asked, eyes serious.

"What? No! Kathleen, listen to me. I know I wasn't around a lot because of work. But I would have never cheated on your mother."

"You and Olivia have been close for a long time."

"I know. She's my best friend."

Kathleen nodded. "Do her kids know?"

"Not yet, but I'm pretty sure Brian suspects something."

"What about your jobs? I thought it wasn't allowed for you to date within your department?"

"How did you get to be so smart?"

"I listen. All those nights you and Mom thought I was sleeping when you'd fight, or talk about work? I was sitting on the stairs, listening."

"You heard that?" Elliot asked softly. "I'm so sorry honey."

Kathleen shrugged. "It's okay, Dad. I guess it was actually better for me. I mean, I wasn't totally surprised when you and Mom told us about the divorce. I kind of figured it was coming."

"Oh Katie," Elliot said softly as he pulled his daughter onto his lap for a hug. "You need to know that your mom and I loved each other very much. But when we got married we were very young. And as we grew older, we also grew apart."

"I know, Daddy," Kathleen said with a smile. "Besides, I have lots of good memories of you and Mom too. And you're both happier now, so we're happier too."

"Really?"

"I promise. How serious are you and Olivia?"

"We just started dating," Elliot chuckled.

"Right. Well, if you guys ever need time alone or anything, I'll baby-sit."

"You're okay with Olivia and me dating?" Elliot asked, slightly surprised.

Kathleen shrugged. "Sure, why wouldn't I be? She's been your partner since I was ten, it's hard to remember a time she wasn't around. She's always treated us really well and now she's taken in three kids and made them her own. And she makes you happy."

Elliot hugged his daughter tightly, amazed by how mature she sounded. "Thank you for taking this all so well."

Kathleen laughed. "It's not completely selfless. If you and Olivia are dating, I get to spend more time with Jacob."

"Hey Katie?" Dickie asked, sticking his head into the living room. "Can we come out now? You only paid us for half an hour and it's been 45 minutes."

Elliot raised one eyebrow. "You paid them to go to bed?"

"Nooo…"

"Uh-huh, $3," Dickie said. "$1 every ten minutes."

"Kathleen Ann Stabler," Elliot said warningly.

"Well it worked!"

"Okay, but no more paying your siblings to go to bed. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Dickie, you and Lizzie need to get into bed. Katie, you too."

"But Dad, it's only 10:30!" Kathleen exclaimed, horrified.

"Yep. Consider it punishment for bribing the twins."

"Haha!" Dickie laughed, pointing at his sister.

"And you, young man, have to give your sister her money back. You know better than to take bribes."

"Aw man," Dickie moaned. "Lizzie too?"

"Lizzie too. Now brush your teeth, change into your pajamas, and into bed. All of you. I'll be in to kiss you goodnight."

Dickie sighed. "Okay. Night Katie." Elliot cleared his throat and Dickie held out the money. "Here."

Kathleen stood and took the money from her brother. "Thanks, squirt," she said, giving him a noogie, then a kiss.

"Ew! Dad, girl cooties! Gross!" Dickie yelled, wiping his cheek desperately.

Elliot laughed. "Give it a few years and you won't think it's so gross, son."

"Yes I will."

"Tell me that in two years."

"I will," Dickie promised as he scurried off to his room.

Elliot laughed and gave the kids a few minutes to get ready while he straightened up the living room. First he checked on Dickie and, after making sure he was in bed and most likely going to stay there, Elliot knocked on his daughters' room. He'd learned his lesson the hard way about knocking on their door. If he didn't there'd be hell to pay.

"You girls ready for bed?" he asked with a smile.

Lizzie nodded from amongst her pile of stuffed animals. "Yep. Night Daddy."

Elliot bent over and kissed Lizzie's forehead. "You know, sometime I'm not going to be able to find you in this pile of animals. You'll be buried alive."

"Daddy, you're silly," Lizzie giggled.

"So are you," he said, making sure she was tucked in. "Love you, Lizzie."

"Love you too, Daddy. I already gave Katie her money back too."

"That's my girl." Elliot stroked a hand over Lizzie's hair and turned to his older daughter.

"Lights out, KatieBug," he said with a grin.

"Just a few minutes, Dad. I want to finish this chapter." She held up Return of the King. "It's really good."

"Because you're imagining Orlando Bloom?" Elliot teased.

"Nope. Viggo Mortenson."

"You do know that he's about my age, don't you?"

"So?" Kathleen laughed at the look of horror on Elliot's face. "Don't worry Dad. I promise not to run off with him."

"Phew," Elliot said, wiping his brow in mock relief. "Okay, one chapter, then bed."

"Got it."

"And Katie?" Elliot asked as he sat on the edge of her bed. "About what we talked about tonight, can we keep it between the two of us? At least for a little while?"

Kathleen nodded, then lowered her voice. "Does Olivia know you told me?"

"Yeah, we talked about it. She would have been here too, but the kids needed to get to bed."

"I know." Kathleen smiled. "She's really great with them. She acts like she's their real mom."

Elliot was touched by his daughter's wisdom. "In her heart, I think she is."

"In theirs too, probably."

"Yep. But right now, you need to get some sleep."

"Okay. Night Dad," Kathleen said with a smile, kissing his cheek.

"Goodnight KatieBug. I love you."

"Love you too."

Elliot turned out the light on his way out the door, Kathleen's reading light casting a glow over the room. Once he was sure everything was alright in the apartment, Elliot double checked the locks on the door and windows, then headed into his own room. He grabbed his cell phone and settled onto his bed, pressing number two on his speed dial.

On the second ring, a contented voice answered. "Hey there. How'd it go?"

"Great. I feel so guilty though Liv."

"Why?"

"All those nights that Kathy and I waited until the kids were in bed to try to hash stuff out? Kathleen wasn't in bed, she was sitting on the stairs, listening to our marriage fall apart."

"You can't blame yourself for that," Olivia said softly. "You and Kathy did your best to shelter the kids from your problems. But Kathleen's smart. Don't you think she would have figured something out even without listening?"

Elliot sighed. "Probably, but I still feel guilty as hell."

"Like you said, we can't protect them from everything. But she's okay with us dating?"

"Yep. And before you ask, I asked her not to tell anyone else."

"Thank you."

"No problem. How'd things go with Brian?"

"I lucked out. He fell asleep in the car on the way home, so I got a reprieve until tomorrow. And maybe he'll forget what he saw."

"Yeah right," Elliot laughed. "Who are we talking about here? Brian noticed something between us before anything even really started."

"You're right," Olivia sighed. "I'm doomed."

Elliot laughed again. "No you're not, you can handle it. He's just a kid, Livia."

"I know. But kids tend to ask the hardest questions."

"Why don't you and I sit down with Brian this week and talk to him about it together?"

"I'd love that, but he's my son and my responsibility."

"I know he's your son," Elliot smiled. "But I love him just as much as you do."

She smiled softly. "Brian asked if we were getting married the other day."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "What did you tell him?"

"I asked why he was asking. He said that then you'd be his dad for real and we'd be a real family."

"Oh Livia," Elliot said softly. "Do you think me spending so much time with you guys is what did that?"

"I don't know. But I don't want you to feel like you have to stop spending time with us. I mean, I understand if you feel like you want to or like things are moving to fast…"

"Olivia," Elliot said with a soft chuckle. "Slow down, you're rambling. And you never do that. Trust me, I don't feel like things are moving too fast. I just don't want to make things harder on you by being around too much."

"You've never made it harder," Olivia answered honestly. "If anything, you've made it easier. I couldn't do this without you."

"I bet you could," Elliot said with a smile. "You have all the instincts, you just hadn't gotten to give them a work out before."

"Well whatever instincts I have are getting a hell of a work out now."

"True, what did you tell Brian when he said he wanted us to be a family?"

"The only thing I could think of through the shock, that you and I don't have to be married for us to be a family."

Elliot beamed. "I think that was the perfect answer. What are you going to do tomorrow while Brian's at his friend's house?"

"I was thinking of grocery shopping. I figure it'll be easier with only two kids."

"I thought Brian was good in the store?"

"Oh he is. But three kids in a grocery store is still hard. I spend half my time trying to keep Maggie from putting every cookie box in sight into the cart and the other half trying to remember if I got bananas."

Elliot chuckled. "Better watch out or you'll go bananas."

"You should know," Olivia teased back. "What are you guys doing during the day?"

"I figure we'll do some homework and relax."

Olivia laughed. "Planning on hitting the books? What is it, Algebra?"

"Oh yeah. And a little chemistry."

"Well you have fun with that. I know a little baby who'll be waking me up very early in the morning. And if he doesn't a certain blonde will."

Elliot chuckled. "Very true. And you love every minute of it."

"Yep," Olivia grinned.

"Well I'll get you go so you can get some sleep, babe. Call tomorrow?"

"Of course. Night Elliot."

"Goodnight, Liv. Sleep tight."

Olivia smiled as she slid further under the covers, falling asleep to the sound of Jacob's steady breathing.


	10. Chapter 10

"Brian, do you have your helmet?" Olivia asked as they prepared to walk out the door to take Brian to his friend's house to ride bikes.

"Yep!"

"And your bike's in the car," Olivia said, more to herself than out loud. "Do you have my cell phone number?"

"It's in my pocket," Brian answered as he bounced excitedly in front of the door. "Can we go now?"

"Just let me grab Jacob," Olivia answered. She felt guilty for dawdling, but she was also fairly sure that she was more nervous than Brian. As Olivia lifted the baby into her arms and began ushering Maggie towards the door, her cell phone rang. Sighing, she grabbed the phone from her hip and juggled it with Jacob until she had it balanced between her chin and her shoulder. "Benson," she huffed out, irritated at being interrupted.

"Olivia, can you swing by the office?" Cragen asked on his end.

"Captain, I have the kids," she objected.

"I know but a new witness just came forward in the Braun case. Elliot's on his way but it may take awhile."

Olivia sighed. "Okay. I have to drop Brian off at a friend's house and I'll be on my way."

"Thanks, Olivia. You'll be here in about twenty minutes?"

"Better give me forty-five. See you then."

Olivia hung up and looked down to see four wide blue eyes staring at her.

"Can I still go to Alex's?" Brian asked hopefully.

Olivia smiled, despite her frustration at being dragged into work on a weekend. "Yes, you can still go to Alex's. But Maggie and Jacob are going to have to come with me to the office."

Brian's eyes lit up. "Can Alex and I come too? Is Elliot and Dickie going to be there?"

Olivia laughed. "Yes, Elliot's going to be there, I don't know if Dickie will or not, and no, you and Alex may not come."

"But why?" Brian whined.

"Because you and he will have much more fun playing at his house than hanging around the station."

"But Maggie and Jacob get to go," Brian tried, following Olivia to her room.

"Maggie and Jacob have to go and I'm actually going to call Maureen to see if she can come pick them up," Olivia answered as she laid Jacob on her bed, surrounded him with pillows, and reached into her closet for her gun.

Brian sighed. "Can I come to the station this week?"

"I don't know yet sweetheart, I don't know what this week will hold. But I'll promise you that, as soon as possible, you can come to the station. Okay?"

Brian grinned and nodded. "Okay."

Olivia slid her holster onto her belt and scooped Jacob into her arms again, nuzzling his neck. "Let's go." They were halfway to the street where she'd parked her car when Olivia looked down at Brian's arms. "Brian, where's your helmet?"

"Uh…I left it inside?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I look like a dork in it and Alex will laugh at me!" Brian exclaimed.

"Alex will not laugh at you and if you're planning on riding your bike, you will wear a helmet, young man," Olivia stated firmly as she marched back up the sidewalk to open the door, Maggie trotting behind her and Brian trudging after them.

Ten minutes later, Olivia pulled up to Alex's house and climbed out of the car. She opened the curbside door and let Brian hurry out before helping Maggie follow, then gathering Jacob out of his car seat. She popped the trunk and withdrew Brian's bike, then walked with him to the front door. Brian rang the door and a small, dark haired woman answered the door.

"Hi, you must be Brian," she smiled.

When Brian only nodded, Olivia nudged him gently in the back. He jumped, then held out his right hand. "Yes ma'am," he answered.

"Well I'm Mrs. Guza, Alex's mom. Alex is in the back yard, straight through the kitchen if you want to go find him. You can leave your bike on the lawn."

"Thanks!" Brian exclaimed, dropped his bike, and hurried through the house.

Olivia rolled her eyes as the other mother laughed. "Don't worry about it, I have three kids. Their friends are always running in and out of the house. I'm Caroline Guza by the way."

Olivia smiled and took her hand. "Olivia Benson, Brian's mother, well, foster mother." Olivia watched Caroline's eyes go wide and her mouth gape slightly. "I know some people are uncomfortable around foster families," she began.

Caroline shook her head. "No, no it's not that. It's, well, you have a gun."

Olivia blinked, then looked at her hip and laughed. "I'm a detective. I'm not usually armed when I'm just with the kids but I have to run to the station for a few minutes."

"Oh," Caroline said softly.

"Here's my card," Olivia continued, handing out the piece of paper. "It has my direct line and my cell phone on it in case anything happens."

Caroline smiled. "Everything will be fine. I might not be a cop, but I'm protective of my kids. If I'm not with them, they play in the yard. I was thinking of taking them to the park down the street for a picnic."

Olivia nodded. "Sounds good. Call if you need anything, if you need me to pick him up early, anything."

"No problem. It's only 11:00 now, why don't you pick Brian up around 3:30? My daughter has gymnastics at 4:00."

"No problem, we'll see you then."

As they climbed back in the car, Maggie stared at Olivia. "Why's Bwian here?"

"He's going to stay with his friend, honey," Olivia grinned in the mirror. "And you and Jacob get to come to the station with me."

"Elliot gonna be there?" Maggie grinned hopefully. "An' Cap'in Cwagen? An' Unca John an' Unca Fin?"

"Elliot will be there, and Captain Cragen will be there. But I don't know about Uncle John and Uncle Fin. But sweetheart, I need you to be a very big girl for me and sit quietly at my desk and color or read to yourself, okay?"

Maggie nodded seriously. "Okay. I be good."

Olivia grinned. "I know you will be. How would you like me to call Maureen when we get there to see if maybe she can come play with you?"

Maggie nodded, beaming. "Yeah, wanna pway wif Reen, Livvy."

When they pulled into the station, Olivia lifted the stroller out of the trunk of the car, stuck the diaper bag in the basket underneath, then loaded Jacob and Maggie into the seats. She pushed them into the station house and found Cragen waiting for her.

"Elliot'll be here in about five minutes so you might as well wait for him to get started. Huang's here already."

Olivia nodded and looked down at Maggie who was waving desperately at Cragen. "Why don't I call Maureen to come down, then you can tell me all about it. Yes, Maggie?"

"Hi Cap'in Cwagen," she said, still waving shyly.

Cragen, despite the worry on his face, crouched down and smiled. "Hi Miss Maggie. How would you like to go upstairs to the crib and color?"

Maggie shook her head. "Color at Livvy's desk, pwease."

Cragen chuckled. "Okay."

Olivia glanced at the kids, then at her captain. "Can you watch them for a few minutes?"

"No problem." Cragen looked at Jacob, who was sound asleep, and Maggie who was staring at him with huge eyes. "How about we get you out of that stroller, Maggie Mae?"

Maggie nodded and held her arms up. "Wead pwease."

Cragen settled Maggie on his lap with a book he'd pulled out of the diaper bag. "Lilo and Stitch," he began.

Olivia made sure that Cragen was settled with the kids before stepping into the hall to make her call. "Hi, Maureen?" she asked when the teenager answered.

"Yeah. Olivia? What's up?"

"Your dad and I have had something come up at the office. We have a witness to a case that we really need to interview, but I have the kids with me. Could you come down here and either take them to a park or something or play with them here?"

Maureen sighed. "I'd love to, but I have a huge psychology test Monday and my discussion group is meeting in 20 minutes. I'm sorry, Olivia."

"Don't worry about it, I'll find something to do with them. Good luck and study hard!"

"I will, thanks. And I really am sorry. I'd love to get to play with them again."

"I know. Next weekend, I promise."

"Great! Bye." Maureen hung up and Olivia sighed as she slid her phone into her pocket. She was about to walk back into the station when the elevator doors slid open and Elliot walked out, Kathleen with him.

"Kathleen!" Olivia exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Dad thought you might need someone to watch Maggie and Jacob since Maureen has a big test next week."

Olivia turned to Elliot and beamed. "Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem. Katie can take them to the park and we'll call her when we're done."

"What about Dickie and Liz?" Olivia asked, now worried.

"They're okay staying home for a few hours. Are the kids inside?"

"Yep, Cragen has them."

They walked in to find Maggie shaking her little head. "No Cap'in Cwagen. Jumba sounds dif'rent. Like Unca Munch does."

Cragen raised an eyebrow at Elliot, Olivia, and Kathleen. "Jumba is snarky, cynical, and sarcastic?"

Olivia laughed. "No, he has a Russian accent. But when John was reading to her the other day, he was doing a Russian accent."

"Ah, got it. I'll try to do better next time Maggie."

Maggie didn't answer. Instead she squirmed off Cragen's lap and raced towards Elliot. "Elliot, throw me!"

Elliot laughed and caught Maggie, tossed her in the air, tipped her upside down, and settled her on his hip, kissing her cheek. "Hey there baby girl. Look who I brought to play with you." Elliot shifted so she could see Kathleen.

"Katie!" Maggie squealed, reaching out her arms.

Kathleen smiled and took Maggie. "Hey kid. How would you like me to take you and Jacob to the park to play while your…er…Livvy and my dad work?"

Maggie looked around, then back at Olivia. "No Reen?"

"Nope, Maureen's studying so you can play with Katie instead. That okay?" Olivia asked.

Maggie nodded. "I wanna swing Katie!"

"I think I can handle that. What time should I bring them back?" Katie asked Olivia as she settled Maggie back into the stroller.

"Why don't you give us three hours or so? If we finish up before then, we'll call your cell phone."

Kathleen nodded. "Got it."

"And here's $20 in case you or Maggie get hungry. Jacob has a bottle and a couple clean diapers in the bag, and a clean outfit in case he needs it."

Kathleen grinned. "We'll be fine. Won't we, Maggie?"

Maggie nodded from the stroller. "Yep!"

Olivia crouched down to hug Maggie good-bye and kiss her cheek, then reached back to kiss Jacob on the forehead. "Okay you guys, have fun! Maggie, be good for Katie."

"Okay, Livvy." Maggie looked up at Elliot then and held out her arms. "Hug, Elliot?"

Elliot almost melted as he bent down and gathered her close. "Bye sweetie. Livvy and I will see you soon." He stood up and kissed Kathleen's cheek. "Have fun and try not to lord this over your sister too much, huh?"

"Aw, Dad," Kathleen pretended to groan. "We'll see you guys in three hours! Bye!"

As Kathleen started pushing the stroller towards the elevator, Maggie leaned over the side and waved back at the three adults. "Bye, Elliot! Bye Livvy! Love you!"

Both Elliot and Olivia waved back. "I love you too, Maggie!" Olivia called. Once Kathleen had gotten the kids loaded into the elevator, Olivia sighed, smiled, and turned back to Cragen and Elliot. "Okay, let's get down to business."

Two hours later, they emerged from the interrogation room. The woman who had come forward had seen the victim, Anna Braun, walking along the street with a man at 2:30 in the morning, half an hour after the bars closed. She recognized Anna from a few classes, but hadn't been able to place the man until recently. But, unfortunately, the new information didn't help them much. The name Veronica Salk gave them was listed in the campus roster, but there was no address or phone number. In fact, the only information they had on the guy was an e-mail address.

"This is ridiculous," Olivia moaned as she sank into her chair. "What did this Kyle Chavez do, just appear out of nowhere? How can they not have contact information for a student?"

"They have an e-mail," Elliot answered sarcastically.

"Great, we'll just send him an e-mail and ask him to turn himself in."

"Elliot, Olivia, head out," Cragen said with a sigh. "We'll call the campus registrar on Monday and see if we can get something from his application. But there's nothing more we can do today."

Olivia sighed as she grabbed a light jacket and slipped it on. "Do you want to call Kathleen and have her meet us with the kids?"

"We could. Or we could walk for awhile," Elliot suggested as they walked towards the elevator.

The door closed and Olivia let Elliot slide his arms around her waist. "This pisses me off, Elliot," she sighed in frustration. "How the hell is he slipping away like this?"

"I don't know. But we'll catch him Livia." Elliot rand his hands up and down her arms gently. "On Monday we'll figure out what's going on down at the registrar and we'll track him down."

"That gives him two more days to rape another girl."

"I know babe. But right now, as much as I hate to say it, there's nothing else we can do until Monday. We caught a break today and we need to focus on that. We have a name now and that's more than we had yesterday, or than we've had all week."

Olivia sighed and nodded, turning in Elliot's arms so she faced him. "How do you do it?" she asked softly. "How do you shut off all the cases and go home to your kids?"

"I talk to you," Elliot answered with a small smile. "You're the one who's kept me sane for the last seven years."

"You've kept me sane too. But what about now?"

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked as the door opened and they walked outside.

"Elliot, if we're dating then how are we going to keep from bringing it all home to the kids? You can't leave work at the station because I'll be at home, too."

"And having you there will be wonderful. We can do this. We'll still have each other to talk to; we just have to leave it at the station. But having you at home and at work, knowing that you know everything that's going on both places, that you're feeling it too? That'll be amazing."

"I don't want to bring this home with me."

"Then we won't," Elliot answered. "We'll go to the gym, we'll run, we'll shout it out, hell we'll hit the heavy bags for awhile. But we won't bring it home."

"But how do I shut it off today? They'll know how wound up I am, Elliot. Brian's intuitive."

"I know." Elliot looked around, then pulled Olivia into an alley. "This isn't my favorite method of stress relief," he said softly. "I'd much prefer to be romantic when I kiss you, but I think this will work for some stress relief." Elliot bent and captured her lips with his. She responded hungrily, hand reaching up behind him to grasp the back of his head, holding his head towards hers as she plundered his mouth desperately.

He pressed her back against the wall, grasping her waist with both hands and crushing her body to his. It was hot and rough, a release of tension and frustration for both of them. Finally Elliot pulled back as they both gasped for breath.

"That was…wow," Olivia said softly. "A very creative way of relieving stress."

"Feeling better?" Elliot asked, stroking his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Yeah," Olivia whispered, leaning against him. Her knees were still weak from the passion that swamped her.

"Think you can go back to the kids now?"

"Well, I probably could but after that display, I'm not sure. Maybe you and I could sneak off for an hour or so?"

"Romance, honey. I'm going to give you romance."

"You know, blind passion and need work too, El."

Elliot chuckled. "I know. And trust me, there'll be plenty of times when both of those things take over. But for this first time, romance is the way to go." He leaned in again, brushing his lips gently over hers, showing gentleness and love where minutes before had only been need.

A vibrating and ringing between them had the detectives jumping apart somewhat guiltily. Elliot grabbed his cell phone from its hip holster and tried to sound normal, despite the fact that desire had lowered his voice about an octave. "Stabler," he answered as Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh, hi honey. Yes, Olivia and I are done. No, we just finished up. Have you guys had lunch yet? Okay, how about dessert? Well why don't Liv and I meet you guys for an ice cream? Okay sounds good. We'll see you in a few."

Olivia looked at Elliot expectantly as he hung up the phone. "Everything okay with Kathleen and the kids?"

Elliot grinned, drawing her close again, hands stroking up her back. "Everything's fine, Mama. Katie was calling to see if we're done yet so we're going to meet them around the corner for ice cream."

"Have they had lunch?"

"Yep." Elliot laughed. "Olivia we're going to see them in ten minutes and you can grill Katie about everything that they did."

"I know I'm over protective and I worry…"

"And that's what makes you a great mommy. Think of it this way. How many first time mothers have you known who are comfortable leaving their children right away?"

"None," Olivia answered immediately. "Most new mothers usually wait at least a month or so."

"Exactly. And right now, you're a new mother. But you've had to leave your babies at daycare and with babysitters after only a week. The fact that you're handling it so well is amazing, Liv."

"Maggie and Brian aren't babies, El."

"I know that. But regardless of how old they are, you're still a new mother who worries just as much as any other new mother."

"So I am paranoid."

"No, you're not paranoid. You love them. There is a difference." Elliot brushed his lips over hers gently. "You ready to go see our kids?"

Olivia nodded, then looked down at Elliot's pants and laughed. "Uh El? You have, well, you're pitching a tent."

Elliot raised an eyebrow at Olivia. "Believe me, I noticed without you pointing it out. But this is what happens when I kiss you, Liv. Hell, it happens when I'm standing next to you, when I hear you, when I smell your perfume, and when I think about you."

"Oh," she said softly. "Well, uh, do you want me to take care of it?"

Elliot groaned. "Liv, you're killing me. Yes, I would love for you to help me with this particular problem but not here and not now."

"What are you going to do? We can't meet up with your daughter, who is old enough to know what's going on, with you in that condition."

"I know," Elliot sighed. He reached down and readjusted himself with a groan. "Okay, this is as good as it's gonna get, so let's go."

As she slid her hand through his, Olivia looked up at Elliot with a teasing grin. "Do I really do that to you all the time?"

"Just you wait, lady," Elliot teased back. "You'll get yours."

They arrived at the store as Kathleen approached from the other direction, pushing the stroller.

"Where's Maggie?" Olivia wondered.

"Oh Kathleen probably lost her," Elliot said casually. She tends to do that."

Olivia elbowed him in the ribs as Kathleen waved and bent down behind the stroller. Maggie poked her head out from behind the stroller and let out a squeal. "Livvy! Elliot!" She darted out from where she was helping push and raced down the sidewalk.

Olivia grinned as she crouched down and caught Maggie up in her arms, hugging her tightly. "Hi baby," she grinned as she stood up. "Did you have fun with Katie?"

"Yep. We pwayed swings an' slided," Maggie said excitedly as she reached her arms out to Elliot for a hug.

"Wow, that sounds like lots of fun," Elliot said as Kathleen and Jacob came up to them. "Hi sweetie," he said as he hugged Kathleen and Olivia lifted Jacob into her arms. "Are you guys ready for ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Maggie yelled, bouncing in Elliot's arms.

"Dad, that's perhaps the dumbest question you could have asked," Kathleen laughed.

"True." Elliot grinned at Olivia who was holding Jacob close, her eyes closed as she breathed in the sweet baby scent of her son. Her face, rather than showing the strain of the day and the job, reflected peace and happiness. "You ready for ice cream, Liv?"

Olivia opened her eyes and smiled. "Yeah. Let's go."

As Kathleen maneuvered the stroller into the restaurant, Elliot rested a hand on Olivia's lower back and leaned over. "This is how you put it behind you," he whispered.

Olivia smiled and nearly kissed him. Just in time she realized that Kathleen and Maggie were both watching them. She blushed and looked at Maggie. "What did Katie get you for lunch, sweetie?"

"Sandwich an' fruit an' milk."

"Really?" Olivia asked, impressed. "That sounds very healthy."

Kathleen laughed. "Maggie actually wanted the fruit. And the milk. She's only kid I've ever known to like healthy stuff. The twins beg for soda and junk as soon as Mom leaves the house."

"What about when your dad leaves?" Olivia asked, laughing.

"Nah, he's a soft touch and they know it. Just wait until Brian and Maggie figure it out, too."

"Hey, be nice to the man who's buying your ice cream," Elliot threatened teasingly.

"I'm just telling the truth, Daddy," Kathleen said with a smile.

Elliot sighed. "I can't win this, can I?"

"Nope." Kathleen placed her order for mint chocolate chip ice cream, then moved off to the side so Elliot and Olivia could order too.

"What do you want, Miss Maggie?" Elliot asked.

"Like Katie?"

"Okay, one scoop of mint chocolate chip for Maggie. Liv, wanna share a banana split?"

"With chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce?"

"That's the only way to eat them," Elliot grinned as he paid the cashier. They collected their treats and found a table.

As they ate, Kathleen told Olivia everything she'd done with the kids that day, most of which included playing at the park, then going for lunch. "Jacob slept a little after his bottle at lunch, but Maggie's been going pretty strong."

Elliot glanced at the little girl in his lap who was quickly fading. "Not for much longer. I think someone's about to fall asleep."

"How was the interview?" Kathleen asked softly.

Olivia sighed and shook her head. "You don't want to know."

"I'm sixteen, you guys. You can't hide the job from me forever."

Elliot sighed. "Just give us a few more years, Katie Bug. Olivia and I see things which give us nightmares. We don't want you to have those things in your head."

"I can handle it, Daddy. Olivia? Please?"

"No Kathleen. Maybe you can handle it, but your dad and I can't handle knowing that you're not the little girl we're used to."

Kathleen sighed. "How long until you two realize that I'm an adult? Or at least, almost one."

"Sweetheart, you'll be fifty and still be my baby girl," Elliot said with a smile.

Kathleen buried her face dramatically in her arms. "That's what I was afraid of," she moaned teasingly.

Olivia laughed, then glanced at her watch. "Augh! I have to go pick Brian up from Alex's house!"

Elliot laughed. "Why don't you go pick Brian up and we'll meet back at my place?"

Olivia glanced at the sleepy child in Elliot's lap. "Someone needs a n-a-p before we hit the batting cages, El."

He looked down and saw that Maggie was asleep, one hand still clutching the spoon that was stuck in her ice cream. He bent and kissed the top of the little girl's head gently. "Let's head back to the station. How long do you think she'll sleep?"

"I'd like to get an hour and a half, maybe two out of her. But realistically? I'm looking at maybe an hour."

Elliot chuckled as he stood up, cradling Maggie to his chest. "Why don't you call when she wakes up?" he suggested. "We'll hang out at home, maybe hit the basketball court until then. Would Brian want to join us?"

"Probably. But I think I want him to rest a little and get some homework done. Otherwise we'll be doing it tomorrow night late and that's not good."

"You do have a point." Elliot placed a hand on her lower back as they walked towards the station.

"Olivia?" Kathleen asked at the corner. "Can I carry Jacob?"

"Two hours of baby duty isn't enough for you?" Olivia teased, even as she passed the baby into Kathleen's waiting arms.

"Nope," Kathleen murmured as she nuzzled Jacob's neck. "And I don't think I ever will. He is such a sweetheart, Olivia."

"Thank you. We like him."

"Should I be worried?" Elliot whispered.

"There's nothing wrong with her wanting to play mommy, just as long as she does it with my baby and doesn't try for one of her own," Olivia whispered back.

A block from the station, Olivia stepped away from Elliot's hand. She hated losing the contact but she also didn't want anyone they knew to see them. It was a good thing she did too because as they walked into the parking garage, a voice called out.

"Olivia, Elliot!"

They turned to see Cragen walking out of the stairwell towards them. "Hi Captain," Olivia answered with a nervous smile.

"What are you guys still doing here?" he asked, lowering his voice as he noticed Maggie sleeping in Elliot's arms.

"We met up with Katie and the kids for ice cream before heading home," Elliot answered with a grin.

"That sounds fun. How's school going, Kathleen?"

"Pretty good, Grandpa Don. Midterms are coming up and soccer's really taking up a lot of time."

"How's the season shaping up?"

"Pretty good actually. We're 5-0 right now and we're playing our big rivals on Thursday."

"Well good luck with that. Have a good weekend, guys."

They waved goodbye and once Cragen was gone, Olivia turned to Elliot pointedly. "That was close."

"It would have been okay, Liv. We'll work it out."

Olivia opened the door to her car and took Jacob from Kathleen, settling him into the car seat as Elliot placed Maggie in her booster chair. After shutting the doors, Kathleen wandered off for a few moments to let her father and Olivia have some privacy.

Olivia smiled as Elliot came around the car and, mindful of where they were, leaned against the side, his eyes telling her plainly how much he wanted to kiss her. "Call when you're ready to head out?"

"Yeah. Meet you there?"

"Sure. Dinner afterwards?"

Olivia nodded and smiled, hoping he knew that she wanted to kiss him too. After a few minutes, Olivia reached over and squeezed his hand before she climbed in her car and headed across town to Alex's house.

Twenty minutes later Olivia pulled up to Alex's house. A glance into the backseat showed that both Maggie and Jacob were sound asleep. She decided to leave the little ones in the car and hurried up the walk. When she rang the bell, Alex's mom Caroline answered the door.

"Hi, how was your work thing?" she asked with a friendly smile, stepping back to invite Olivia in.

"Slightly helpful. I can't come in, the little ones are sleeping in the car. Is Brian ready to go?"

"Yep. Brian," Caroline called up the stairs. "Alex, come on down! Brian's mom is here!"

Olivia blushed at the mistake but didn't correct her. "Was Brian good?"

"Excellent. We had lunch in the park then played around the neighborhood. Brian's a sweetheart, he was more than willing to help out."

Olivia beamed proudly. "I'm glad. He was so excited about today." She paused when Brian raced down the stairs. "Hey buddy. Did you have fun?"

Brian nodded violently with a grin. "Yeah. Can Alex come over this week?"

"Um, I don't know how work will shape up this week Bri. How about next weekend?"

"Okay. Cool!"

"Brian, what do you say to Mrs. Guza for having you over?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Guza. I had a lot of fun today."

"So did we and you're welcome here anytime Brian."

Olivia grabbed Brian's bike while he carried his helmet and they loaded everything into the car before driving home. Once they arrived, Olivia carried the still sleeping Maggie into the house and tucked her into bed while Brian carried Jacob's carrier. After getting Maggie and Jacob tucked in, Olivia helped Brian with his math homework and a book report that was due the next week.

An hour later, Maggie toddled down the stairs, clutching her teddy bear. "Livvy? I done sweepin'."

Olivia lifted Maggie into her arms and cuddled her close. "Did you have a good nap? You must have played hard with Katie because you took a long nap today."

Maggie nodded. "Katie's fun."

"Katie was there?" Brian asked enviously. "Were Dickie and Lizzie?"

"Nope. Katie came to watch Maggie and Jacob. Dickie and Lizzie stayed home."

"Oh. Okay. Hey Olivia, did you and Elliot catch the bad guy?"

Olivia smiled sadly as she draped an arm around Brian's shoulders, drawing him close. "Not yet hon. But we're getting closer."

"Oh. What'd he do, steal something? Kill someone?"

Olivia paused. "No, he hurt a girl very badly."

"Oh." Brian hugged her tightly. "You and Elliot will catch him. You guys are the best cops ever."

"Thank you, Brian," Olivia whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "That means a lot to me."

Brian grinned. "When are we going to Elliot's? Are we still going to the batting cages?"

"Just let me get Maggie dressed and feed Jacob and we can head over there. Okay? Is your homework all done now?"

Brian sighed. "No. Almost, though!"

"Okay, you have to do it before anything else tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yep! I'm gonna go get ready!" Brian raced up the stairs to find his shoes and Olivia laughed.

"We'd better get you dressed, sweetie or your brother will drive to Elliot's house himself and we'll have to walk."

Maggie giggled. "Bwian don't drive, Livvy."

"So then we'd better hurry, huh?"

Maggie nodded. "Hurry fast, Livvy. I wanna pway wif Lizzie!"

Olivia laughed. "You got it."

On Monday, Olivia arrived at the office a few minutes early. She grabbed a mug of coffee and was on the phone with Columbia's campus registrar trying to get an address for Kyle Chavez.

Elliot sat down a few minutes later and raised his eyebrows. "You're here early," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, with Maggie actually liking daycare, she pretty much drags us out the door every morning."

"At least she's having fun. Learned anything about our disappearing man?"

Olivia sighed. "According to the registrar, his letter of acceptance was mailed to a PO Box in Dellwood, New Jersey. But the person who rented the box died in 2000."

Elliot's sigh echoed his partner's. "Of course. Because to have an actual address would be too easy. How about a phone number?"

"Nope. Claimed they didn't have a phone."

"Okay. Veronica didn't remember where she knew him from, did she?"

"Nope. Knew his name, but not where from."

"Okay Liv, when you were in college and went to bars, did you get the first and last name of any guys you danced with?"

"El, half the time I didn't get first and last names of the guys I made out with."

His brow furrowed. "Exactly my point. So maybe she met him in class?"

"Probably. Why don't we head down and look at the application? Maybe there are some prints we can use."

"Getting antsy, Liv?"

"This bastard interrupted our weekends with our kids. I want to nail his ass before he hurts someone else."

"Then let's go," Elliot grinned.

Three hours later, Olivia sighed and buried her head in her arms. "This is ridiculous. His application had more prints on it than a taxi door. None of his classes are the same as the witness's, and all of his mail goes to a PO Box, with a name but no other contact info."

"Obviously, we're not going to get anything here. It's amazing they get anything done with records like this."

Olivia pushed the papers away and stood up. "Okay, we're wasting our time. Maybe the post office can help us out with seeing who empties the box."

Elliot nodded as he stood and rested a hand on his partner's back. It was a gesture he'd made a million times before but this time, Olivia looked back at him and smiled warmly. His fingers stroked her back gently as she sighed and stepped slightly closer to him. He felt her sigh under his hand. "What's up?" he asked.

"You know what really pisses me off?" she asked, being careful to keep her voice low.

"Hm?"

"We could walk right past this guy and never even know it. It's infuriating."

"We'll get him. Somewhere, he's made a mistake. And that'll be his downfall."

Olivia smiled ruefully up at him. "How can you be so optimistic about this?"

"Because more times than not, we find him. We fight harder when we have a personal reason to go after the guy and interrupting our weekend definitely counts."

When the visited the post office, they were told that they needed a warrant to get into the box, but no one remembered anyone picking up mail from there in over a year. The post master also said that they'd need a warrant to get the security tapes.

They arrived back at the station house, both irritated. Cragen watched two of his best detectives storm around the station for half an hour before he rolled his eyes. "Stabler! Benson! Go home. Casey won't have the warrant until tomorrow and you're both driving me crazy."

"Cap," Olivia started to object, then sighed. "Wanna hit the gym, Stabler? I don't have to pick up the kids for another hour."

Elliot grinned. Working out with Olivia as always interesting, to say the least. "Sure. Call if you get the warrant early, Captain?"

"Of course. I'll see you two bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir," Olivia said with a grin. She grabbed her purse and gym bag from her locker. "Let's go."

They walked into the gym, swiped their passes, and headed for the locker rooms. When they met up ten minutes later, Elliot had to work to keep his tongue from rolling out of his mouth. Olivia wore a pair of short shorts with the letters "NYPD" across the butt and a tight tank top that more closely resembled a long sports bra.

"So, uh, what do you want to do first, cardio or weights?" he asked finally finding he voice.

Olivia forced herself to focus. Elliot looked too good in the sleeveless white top and shorts for his own good. "Let's do weights, then we can hit the pool. You do have a swimsuit, right?"

"Yep. Legs or arms first?"

Olivia shrugged. "I need to stretch out first." A slow smile bloomed on her face, the kind of smile that would have alerted Elliot that she had a plan if he hadn't still been distracted by the long legs emerging from her shorts. "How about we make this interesting?"

"Interesting?" Elliot repeated, watching as his partner sat on the floor in a straddle and began leaning over her legs.

"Whoever wins makes dinner tonight."

Elliot chuckled as he leaned against the wall, stretching his calves. "Okay, what are we competing in?"

"Everything. Number of reps here, then racing in the pool?"

"You're on," Elliot grinned. He was fairly confident he could beat her, after all he lifted several times a week and ran.

Olivia crossed her legs and began twisting at the torso. "Sit ups first?"

"You're on Benson." Elliot moved to grasp her ankles and waited for her to lay down. Once she had, he took advantage of his position to run his hand up and down her calf. Feeling the muscles clench, he chuckled.

"Oh you're going down Stabler," she threatened. "Three minutes, whoever does the most wins."

"Got it. Holder counts?"

"Yeah. But I'll be keeping count myself so don't try lying about it."

"On your mark, get set, go," Elliot answered.

Olivia started, counting in her head as she did. After three minutes, her stomach muscles were trembling slightly. Elliot told her to stop and squeezed her ankles to reinforce it. She stopped and shifted so she was lying on her stomach. Elliot watched in appreciation as she pressed her hands into the ground and arched her back.

"214," he said with a grin. "Not bad."

"Bet you can't do better," she challenged.

"Oh I can," Elliot shot back. "And I will."

Olivia finished stretching and took Elliot's ankles. The second she did, Elliot realized it was a mistake. When he came up, he had a perfect view of her breasts. "Ready, set, go," she grinned. As Elliot came up, she was overcome with the urge to kiss him. The sight of him all hot and sweaty was an amazing turn on.

"Damn," he gasped when his three minutes were up. "How the hell did you do that?"

"You didn't to too badly," she said with a smile. "197 isn't anything to sneeze at, El. It's more than one a second."

"But how did you get 214?"

Olivia grinned as she shifted to push up position. "I've had to cram my workouts in at home lately in between everything with the kids. I've gotten pretty fast."

"That's not fair, you have an unfair advantage."

"Yeah yeah. Three minutes again?"

"Yep. Go."

By the time they got to the pool, they were tied. Elliot beat Olivia in push ups but she creamed him in leg lifts. He'd won again with the bench press and they'd tied in pull ups. Olivia walked out of the locker room, having already showered, wearing a jade green two piece suit. She was holding a towel and a pair of goggles. When Elliot emerged from his locker room in black swim trunks, Olivia had to remind herself not to drool. His sculpted abs showed perfectly and suddenly she just wanted to wrap herself around him.

"Ready?" He asked with a grin, tossing his towel over a peg.

"Yep. Four laps? That's a mile."

"Freestyle?"

Olivia nodded. She jumped into the pool, positioned her goggles, and got ready to push off. Elliot followed and glanced at his partner. "On your mark."

"Get set," Olivia continued.

"Go!" they exclaimed together, pushing off the wall in tandem. The first length they paced each other. As they pushed off the far wall, Olivia pulled slightly ahead. She was pacing herself somewhat, knowing that Elliot could beat her in a sprint but hoping her endurance would make her win the distance.

They went back and forth, battling for the lead until the last 50 feet of the pool. When they surfaced, both were grinning.

"What are you smiling about?" Elliot asked as he wiped the water from his face.

"I won," Olivia answered simply, pushing her goggles onto the top of her head. "You're making dinner tonight."

"Uh Liv, I think you've got it backwards. I beat you, you're making dinner."

Olivia's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No way Stabler. I beat you by a good three seconds."

"You're imagining things, I beat you good."

Olivia scowled as she pushed herself out of the pool and began toweling off. "I won Elliot, I beat you fair and square."

"No you didn't I won." Elliot followed her, still arguing, until he realized that he had almost walked into the women's locker room. Sure, he'd chased her into the ladies' room at the station on more than one occasion, but that was different. "We'll settle this when you get out!" he yelled through the door.

Twenty minutes later they were headed towards daycare, still arguing over who had won the bet. They collected the kids, taking a bit longer than usual in the preschool room because Maggie didn't want to leave her friends, and headed out the door.

After listening to the bickering for over half of the ride home, Brian spoke up softly. "Olivia? Are you and Elliot going to break up?"

She twisted around in her seat, shock on her face. "What? Honey why would you ask that?"

"Well, when Mom had boyfriends and they started fighting, the boyfriends left." Tears filled his eyes. "I don't want you and Elliot to break up."

"Elliot going 'way?" Maggie asked softly.

Olivia sighed. "No, Elliot's not going anywhere. We might fight sometimes, but Elliot and I are best friends and partners. But no amount of arguing will change that."

"Really?" Brian asked hopefully.

Elliot smiled at him in the review mirror. "Really. Why are you trying to get rid of me?"

Brian shook his head quickly. "No!"

"Good, because I'm not planning on going anywhere."

"Yay!" Maggie squealed. "Elliot's stayin'!"

Both adults chuckled. Elliot reached over and linked fingers with Olivia, then brought her fingers to his lips. "If you want me to make dinner tonight I will, babe."

Olivia smiled. "We'll both cook."

That night, Elliot groaned slightly as he entered his apartment. He'd pushed himself that day working out against Olivia. But he always did that and if he had to guess, he'd say that she was hurting too. It was the competitiveness that got to both of them. Before he could crash into bed, there was a phone call he had to make.

He lay down on his bed, indulging in a moan before grabbing his cell phone from the hip holster and dialing the memorized number.

"Hey Daddy," Maureen grinned. "What's up?"

"I can't call my first born just to chat?" Elliot asked, feigning hurt.

Maureen laughed. "Sure you can. How are Olivia and the kids?" she asked with a grin.

"Just fine, how are your classes?"

"They're okay. I think I did really well on my test today, but I probably won't know for sure for another week or so. Did you guys catch him yet?"

"Who?"

"The guy who you were looking for on Saturday?"

"No, not yet. But we're getting close. What are you doing this Friday, hon?"

"Uh, nothing yet. I have a date on Saturday, but Friday's wide open. Why?"

"Date? With who? How long have you known him?"

"Relax Daddy," Maureen laughed with a roll of her eyes. "His name is Ken and I met him in my Abnormal Psych class."

"You're dating a guy you met in Abnormal Psych?"

"He's a student Daddy, not a patient. Anyway, what's up on Friday?"

"Right, Friday. How would you like to babysit?"

"That's fine, but isn't it Dickie and Liz's weekend with Mom?"

"Yes it is, but you'd be babysitting for Olivia's kids, not your siblings."

"You sure about that?" Maureen mumbled.

"What was that honey?"

"Nothing, babysitting sounds great. What time?"

"How about 7?"

"Sure. I'll head over to Olivia's place then. Or am I sitting for the kids here?"

"No, you'll be at Liv's."

"Cool. How late are you guys gonna be?"

"Uh, well I'm not sure about that."

Maureen laughed. "Got it. I'll bring pajamas then. See you Friday. And I can stay all night if you need me to."

"Thanks sweetie. This means a lot to Olivia and I."

"No problem, I can't wait to play with the kids. They're really sweet. Oh, Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do we need to have a talk about being safe and using protection?" she teased. "After all, we don't want something to happen that you and Olivia aren't ready for."

"Thank you young lady," Elliot sighed at his daughter's cheek. "But Olivia and I are adults and you don't need to worry about that. We'll be safe."

"Sure Daddy. Just remember, the only thing that's 100% effective is abstinence. You already learned that the hard way once."

"And I'm thankful for that everyday, baby girl. Now you go study some more, your old man is feeling his age and needs to sleep."

"Okay," Maureen laughed. "I'll see you on Friday."

"Right. Thanks again."

"No problem. Bye, Daddy. Love you."

"I love you too, Maureen." Elliot hung up the phone and drifted off to sleep, hoping he didn't hurt too badly the next morning.


	11. Chapter 11

Waking up to Jacob's first cry the next morning, Olivia groaned. Damn Elliot and that workout, she thought as she slid her legs out of bed and bent with a soft hiss to lift Jacob into her arms.

Once at the station, she forced herself to walk normally, instead of the slower hobble she'd adopted. She grabbed a mug of coffee and sat in her chair. Cragen walked out of his office and looked at the squad room. His gaze fell on Elliot and Olivia, both drinking mugs of coffee, Elliot reading a file and Olivia was trying to find something online.

"Benson! Stabler!" he called, beckoning to them with one finger. Both detectives stood up, slightly more slowly than they normally would and made their way into Cragen's office. Cragen arched an eyebrow as Elliot leaned gingerly against a bookcase and Olivia sat carefully on the arm of a chair. "Have fun at the gym last night?"

"Oh yeah," Elliot chuckled.

"Are you two up to checking out the PO Box on our guy today?"

Olivia sat up a bit straighter. "Casey got the warrant?"

"Yep and you can get the papers from the post office anytime this morning. Let's see if we can get this cleaned up by tonight."

"Got it," Elliot said with a nod as he pushed himself up. "You wanna drive Liv, or should I?"

Olivia shrugged, opening Cragen's door and heading for her desk. "I don't care. I'll drive."

"Hey!" Cragen called as his detectives grabbed their coats. "Call before heading over to his place."

Olivia nodded. "We'll just bring him in, then interrogate the hell out of him."

As they drove to the post office Elliot reached over and linked his fingers through hers. "I called Maureen last night. She said she's baby-sit Friday night so we can have that romantic evening I've been promising you."

Olivia nearly rear-ended the car in front of them as she goggled. "Do you mean what I think you do?"

Elliot smiled gently and squeezed her hand. "If that's what you want. If not, it can just be a regular date."

"No, no I'm definitely ready to take that step. But how did you pitch it to Maureen?"

"I asked her to stay with the kids so we could have our way with each other."

"What?" Olivia exclaimed, horrified, even as Elliot laughed.

"Liv, hon relax. I just asked her to baby-sit. Anything else she inferred on her own. She said she'd bring clothes to spend the night so we can be as late as we want."

"She's okay with this?"

"She and Katie are both fine with us. Dickie and Lizzie might not know, but if they did, they'd be happy too." He paused. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Olivia smiled warmly as they pulled up to the post office. "I've been ready for this for seven years, Elliot."

He beamed and reached over to brush a kiss over her lips. "Let's go see if we can finally get an address for this guy."

When they arrived at the post office, the manager was waiting for them, clearly aggravated. "I don't like doing this, but here's the guy's application. He comes in about twice a week to pick up his mail, but he hasn't been in since last week."

Elliot nodded as Olivia took the application and began reading it. "How's he seem to you?"

The guy shrugged. "Never paid much attention. I guess normal enough, my staff hasn't complained about him."

"Here's my card," Elliot said, handing it over. "Call if he comes in?"

"Got it."

"Ready to go, Liv?"

She looked up and nodded. "Yep. Guy's name is Kyle Chavez. According to this, he lives three blocks from our crime scene. I'll call Munch and Fin, have them pull the guy's records while we're driving."

Elliot held out his hand for the keys as they walked towards the car, Olivia still reading. Once in the car she called Cragen and gave him the information, telling him they were going to see if they could bring Justin in for an interview.

They found Kyle in his apartment. It was disgusting; pictures of naked, beaten women adorned the walls. They hauled him down to the car and began driving back to the station. While Justin waited in the interrogation room Cragen called his detectives around him.

"Munch? Fin? What'd you get on our boy?"

"Kyle Chavez, age 22. There's nothing on his record but a few parking tickets. But that also doesn't mean his juvie record's as clean," Fin said.

Munch picked up from where Fin left off. "He attends Columbia, obviously, but doesn't seem to pay much attention to his classes. He's been on academic probation since his freshman year. And he seems to be on the ten year plan."

"Ten years?" Olivia asked, surprised.

"Probably not on purpose," Munch chuckled. "But that's what happens when you only take 10 credit hours a semester and fail half of those. His parents live in Jersey and Casey's calling down there to see if we can get an unofficial look at his juvie record. But for now, we have Anna and Veronica coming down for line ups. Hopefully, with positive IDs we can compel a DNA sample."

"Has he asked for his lawyer yet?" Cragen asked.

Elliot shook his head. "Nope. Let's go take a crack at him, Liv. If he confesses, it'll just make Casey's job easier."

Olivia nodded with a grin. "Good cop or bad cop, El?"

"Hm…I think I'll take good cop today. Let you go bad cop on his ass." He held out a hand to pull her from her chair. "Ready partner?"

"Let's go."

They walked off to the interrogation room and Cragen paused, realizing that they were even walking in synch. He'd have to be blind not to realize that something was going on between Elliot and Olivia. They'd always been close but the last few weeks had pushed them even closer. Now looking at them was like looking at two halves of same person. Separate they were still strong people who could take care of themselves. But together both seemed more relaxed and content than he'd seen either of them in a long time.

An hour later, Elliot and Olivia emerged from the interrogation room, both furious and frustrated. Kyle admitted to knowing the victim but not to anything else. He said that he had taken a couple of classes with her, knew her by face and by hearing her name, but that was it, he'd never been out with her and whoever claimed to have seen them must have been mistaken. As for the porn in his apartment? The girls were all over 18, it was legal and as long as it was pictures, they weren't hurting anyone, were they? And there was nothing they could do until the lineup.

Both the victim and the witness identified Kyle, which Casey said was enough to compel a DNA sample. All they had left to do was wait. At 5:45, Olivia and Elliot were still waiting for an answer from the lab. Cragen wanted to question Kyle as soon as the DNA came back so Olivia left to pick up the kids from daycare and bring them back to the station for dinner.

"Elliot!" Brian exclaimed, racing into the station. "We get to stay here tonight!"

Elliot laughed as he pulled Brian into his lap with a hug. "I know, isn't that exciting?"

Brian nodded. "And Olivia said we can have Chinese food!"

"After you finish your homework," Olivia said with a smile as she walked into the station with Jacob in one arm and Maggie clinging to her fingers of her other hand.

"Right," Brian sighed.

Maggie smiled and climbed into Elliot's lap also, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Hi Elliot."

"Hey there baby girl." Elliot beamed, cuddling her close. "Did you have fun at daycare?"

Maggie nodded, grinning. "I made Livvy a picture." She pulled a folded up piece of paper from her backpack and opened it to reveal a little yellow squiggle and a larger brown squiggle that might have represented people. Next to both was another brown squiggle. "See, that's me an' Livvy an' you."

Elliot beamed and nuzzled Maggie's neck. "That's a beautiful picture Maggie Mae. Do you think you could make me a picture tonight?"

Maggie thought for a minute, then nodded. "Okay."

"How about you?" Elliot asked Brian, tickling his ribs gently. "What are we looking at for homework?"

"I have to use a computer, we're writing reports on presidents," Brian sighed.

"Who do you have?" Munch spoke up, interested.

"John Kennedy. He was president a _long_ time ago."

Munch chuckled. "Come on over here Bri, I'll tell you everything I know about John Fitzgerald Kennedy."

Brian slid off Elliot's lap and hurried over, perching on Munch's desk. Olivia arched an eyebrow in their direction. "Facts only John, no conspiracies," she warned.

"Got it," Munch said with a wink to Brian.

"Uncle John, what's a conspiracy?"

"It's the truth that the government doesn't want us to know."

"Why not?"

Olivia sighed and looked at Elliot. "Why do I even bother?"

He laughed. "I don't know. How's the little man doing?"

"Wonderfully. He has a full tummy and is perfectly content." She brushed a kiss over his hair. "Now we just need someone to stay up for a little while so he'll sleep at night."

Cragen walked out of his office and smiled when Maggie waved from Elliot's lap and called out, "Hi Cap'in Cwagen!"

"Well hello Miss Maggie." Cragen held out his arms and scooped Maggie up when she raced into his arms. "Elliot, Olivia, I'm sorry to tell you this but there's a crime scene you need to visit."

"Captain I have the kids," Olivia objected, rubbing Jacob's back.

"I know and I'd send Munch and Fin but they're needed across town."

"What?" Munch looked up, surprised. "Why?"

Olivia glanced at Brian who was all ears and Maggie who looked to be paying attention also. "Bri, why don't you take Maggie upstairs to the crib and you can watch a video?" she suggested.

"Are you and Elliot going out?"

She sighed. "I think so. But we'll come up and tell you before we leave, okay?"

Brian nodded as he slid off Munch's desk. "Come on Maggie. Let's go watch a video."

Maggie nodded and when Cragen set her on the ground, she took her brother's hand and they walked up the stairs together. Olivia watched them, then turned back to her Captain. "What's up?"

"There was a little girl stolen from Joi de Vivre daycare this afternoon. She's six years old, name Theresa Milner. The daycare's on the corner of 7th and Grand. Six blocks away, Kayla Jefferies was taken from another daycare called Creative Learning. She's seven."

"Jefferies?" Munch asked, surprised. "Any relation to Monique?"

"Don't think so. But I want Olivia and Elliot to go Joi de Vivre and Munch and Fin head to Creative Learning."

"Are we thinking these are connected?" Elliot asked, grabbing his coat.

"At this point, we don't know. We're treating them as separate cases for now though."

"What about the kids?" Olivia resisted.

"I'll stay here with them. Obviously, these cases are getting top priority so we're keeping Kyle Chavez in lock up for the night, we can do a line up tomorrow."

"Has someone called the girls?" Elliot asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Casey called them already."

Olivia nodded as she settled Jacob into his carrier with a kiss. "You be good for Captain Cragen, Jay. I'll be back as soon as I can." She stood and handed the carrier over. "He's fed and clean, but he'll probably need a new diaper in about an hour or so."

Cragen nodded. "Sleeping?"

"After he's changed, he'll probably drop off for a little while. He'll be fine in the carrier while he's sleeping, just make sure to tuck the blanket around him so he doesn't get cold. And he falls asleep easier if you hold him."

"What about our eavesdroppers?" Cragen smiled, nodding towards the stairs to the crib where Brian and Maggie were sitting, watching wide eyed.

Olivia sighed. "Here's $20 if you can order Chinese food for them? Brian needs to do his homework and Maggie will color or play with her doll. If she gets antsy, she likes reading. And if we're not back by 8:30, that's Maggie's bedtime. Um…she doesn't have pajamas, but I have a couple of t-shirts in my locker that she and Brian can wear. Brian needs to go to bed at 9, but hopefully we'll be back by then."

Cragen smiled. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. You go find that little girl."

"Just let me say goodbye to the kids," Olivia took her coat from Elliot and walked over to the stairs as she shrugged into her coat. "Hey guys," she said softly. "Elliot and I have to go work on a case for a little while so you're going to stay here with Captain Cragen, okay?"

Maggie wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck. "No Livvy, don't go 'way."

"I have to baby girl," she soothed. "Elliot and I have to go help someone who's in trouble."

"Why?" Maggie whined.

"Because that's what we do, we help people. And then we'll come back to get you."

"Cause you always come back?"

"Because I always come back," Olivia agreed, kissing her cheek. "I need you guys to be good for Captain Cragen, okay? Brian you still need to do your homework. Just because Elliot and I aren't here doesn't mean you can goof off."

"Okay," Brian sighed.

"And can you help Captain Cragen if he needs it with Jacob?"

Brian nodded. "Sure." He reached out and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Olivia."

"I love you too," Olivia whispered, kissing both children. "Both of you."

Elliot walked over and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Liv, we have to go." He smiled down at Brian and Maggie. "Have fun guys, we'll be back soon."

Brian wrapped his arms around Elliot's waist. "I love you too, Elliot."

"Me too," Maggie said, attaching herself to Elliot's leg.

"I love you guys too." He bent and kissed both of them, whispering in their ears. Brian and Maggie grinned and raced to Cragen's office.

"What did you tell them?" Olivia asked, standing up.

"I told them about Cragen's Twizzler stash," Elliot grinned. "Let's go, the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back."

She looked at him, suddenly sad. "You and I both know it won't be that easy."

Elliot reached over and squeezed her hand. "Maybe it will," he said softly. "Maybe it was a custody battle gone wrong."

"Yeah. Maybe." But Olivia didn't sound convinced.

They drove to the daycare and arrived to find uniformed officers questioning the daycare supervisor and the parents. The supervisor was ringing her hands and looking scared to death, tears welled in her eyes while the parents clung to each other looking desperate. "You want the parents or supervisor?" Olivia asked, knots starting to form in her stomach.

"I'll take the supervisor," Elliot said, squeezing her hand subtly.

Half an hour later, armed with a recent picture of Theresa, Elliot and Olivia headed back to the station house. They met up with Munch and Fin in the parking garage and headed inside. As soon as they walked in the door, they were met with the sounds of a cranky screaming. Maggie looked up from Olivia's desk, where she sat with her doll and a book. She let out an excited squeal and jumped up, racing towards Olivia.

"Livvy!" she yelled as she jumped into her foster mother's arms.

Olivia caught her and held Maggie tightly, stroking her hair and fighting tears. It was alright, she kept reminding herself. Maggie was safe, she was perfectly fine. "Hi baby," she whispered.

"Livvy, what's wong?" Maggie asked, pulling back and patting Olivia's cheek. "Why you sad?"

"Because a little girl needs my help," Olivia answered softly. "And I don't like it when little boys and girls are hurt."

"Do you need a hug, Olivia?" Brian asked softly, coming up to stand next to her.

Olivia blinked back tears and nodded. "I would love a hug right now," she said, crouching down so she could gather Brian to her also. She held them close for a minute, savoring the feel of her children safe in her arms. "Did you guys have fun with Captain Cragen?" she asked softly.

Brian nodded. "I found a lot for my report. I was working on the outline, then I'll write the first draft this weekend."

"Why don't we start on that tomorrow? That way we can have fun this weekend," she suggested. Brian nodded in agreement and Olivia looked at Maggie. "Did you have dinner yet?"

"Uh-huh. Ses'me chicken an' broccoli an' crab goons."

"Wow, that's a lot."

"We saved some for you," Brian added. "Elliot too."

"Thanks, buddy," Elliot grinned, ruffling Brian's hair. "Where's Captain Cragen?"

"He's with Jacob," Maggie said, still holding onto Olivia's neck. "He's cwyin'."

"Cap?" Olivia asked, her eyebrows arching up to her hairline.

"No, not me Olivia. Your son's been missing you." Cragen walked out of his office holding the fussing baby.

Olivia passed Maggie to Elliot and gathered the baby in her arms. "Hi there big boy, what's the matter?" she cooed. "Why aren't we happy? Didn't Captain Cragen feed you?"

"Oh, I fed him," Cragen sighed. "And I changed his diaper and went through two shirts."

"Two shirts?" Olivia asked, eyebrows arching, this time in amusement.

"He spit up down one and peed on the other."

"Oh," a smirk appeared on her face. "Got it." She rubbed Jacob's back and he quieted, then fell asleep.

"Olivia, you can put the little ones to bed, then we need to go over what we learned."

Olivia and Elliot carried Maggie and Jacob upstairs with Brian trailing after them. After getting the children tucked into bed with kisses and hugs all around, Olivia left the door to the crib cracked and she and Elliot began tiptoeing down the stairs.

"This is going to be a long night," she said softly. "I need to call Maureen."

"Give me your notes and I'll give them to Cragen in case you're not back."

"Thanks." Olivia handed over her notebook and grabbed her cell phone. Fifteen minutes later Olivia joined the group.

"Everything go okay?" Elliot whispered.

"Yep. Maureen's in class until 9:45, some film lecture, so she'll probably be here around 10:15 or 10:30."

"Good," Elliot grinned.

"Okay, we have two little girls, similar looks, but very different families. Joi de Vivre is a private daycare, very exclusive. Theresa Milner went missing this afternoon on a nature walk. They were looking for flowers. According to the aide, she was there one second and gone the next, no one was around, no cars, nothing," Cragen said, taping a picture of Theresa to the board. He added a picture of Kayla. "Same story from Creative Learning. But instead of being highly exclusive, Creative Learning was started to offer low-income families. Kayla Jeffries disappeared during outside playtime. The yard if fenced but there's a small hole. Kayla could have fit through but I don't think anyone larger could have."

"The families don't know each other," Fin added.

"The Jefferies aren't even from Manhattan," Munch added. "Both parents work here, but they live in Brooklyn."

"Are they related to Monique?" Olivia asked, wondering if this could be some warped plan for revenge.

"Nope, just a coincidence," Munch said.

"I didn't think you believed in coincidences, I thought everything was a conspiracy," Elliot smirked, then sobered. "Theresa's father, Nathan Milner is an ADA in homicide."

"Any tough cases lately?" Munch asked. "Maybe ones where the defendant threatened him and taking the daughter is revenge?"

"We'll have to get his old files and go through them, but if these cases are connected, it's probably not a disgruntled perp," Olivia pointed out.

"Well if the perp is pissed enough, Kayla might have just been a crime of opportunity," Munch argued back.

"Children," Cragen scolded. "These cases are too alike to not be related. So now I want us to figure out how these girls are connected. Munch, Fin, get on that. Olivia and Elliot, I want you looking through all staff lists from the daycares, seeing if they have any similarities and cross referencing them with all recently released sex offenders."

Everyone nodded and went to their desks, beginning a long night of work. They'd been at it for about 45 minutes when the clacking of high heels made the detectives look towards the door just in time to see Liz Donnelly stride though, Casey at her side.

"Why the hell wasn't I called?" she demanded. "The daughter of another ADA goes missing, Branch wants this guy caught yesterday, and we're kept in the dark WHY?"

"Because this just happened about two hours ago and we don't have a suspect yet," Olivia sighed, standing up.

"Why not? Are you just all sitting here on your asses waiting for the perp to walk through the door, because I'm damn sure that's not going to happen," Liz snapped

Elliot was on his feet too. "Well if you think you're going to find those little girls by just wandering the streets, without any research or a solid leads, be my guest because you're sure as hell not helping us here!"

"You'll be singing a different tune when you decide to do your damn jobs and get out there and find those children and need warrants!" Liz yelled, stepping closer to the detectives while Casey mouthed that she was sorry.

"Look, if you want to do the background work and give it to us be our guest! But until then get off our asses and let us do our jobs!" Olivia yelled back, pushed to the breaking point.

No one had seen the tiny blonde girl standing on the steps, watching the whole scene, terrified. She raced off the steps and dove under Olivia's desk, curling into a tight little ball, shaking with fear. Casey saw the streak of little blonde that ended up under the desk and, since no one was paying attention to either her or Maggie, she slipped around the desks and crouched down, peering into the darkness.

"Hi sweetie," she whispered comfortingly. "My name's Casey, we met at the park when you learned how to ride a bike, remember?" Maggie didn't say anything but nodded slightly so Casey sat down carefully. "Do you want to come out, Maggie?"

The little girl shook her head vehemently and whispered, "Lady's scary."

"You mean Ms. Donnelly?" Casey whispered back, sliding under the desk. "The lady who's talking to Olivia?"

Maggie nodded. "Very scary."

"She's not scary sweetheart," Casey tried to explain. "She's scared so she's yelling."

"She gonna hit Livvy an' Elliot?" Maggie asked nervously.

"Oh no," Casey exclaimed softly, appalled at the very idea. She held out her arms and Maggie slowly crawled into them, her fingers stuck in her mouth as she sucked desperately. "Maggie, Ms. Donnelly might get angry and yell but she would never, ever hit anyone. C'mon sweetie." She slid out from under the desk to the sound of Liz still going at it with the detectives, Maggie clinging to her neck desperately.

"Olivia," Casey called softly.

Olivia's head snapped around and she gasped when she saw Maggie in Casey's arms. "Maggie," she whispered, hurrying over and taking Maggie, who clung to her as tightly as she could. "What's wrong sweetheart? Why are you up?"

"Scary lady," Maggie whimpered. "Don't hurt Livvy."

"Oh sweetie, Ms. Donnelly isn't going to hurt me."

"Hurt me?" Maggie asked softly.

"No, no, no, no," Olivia soothed.

"Who's this?" Liz asked, confused.

Olivia turned to Liz, eyes flashing. "This is Maggie, my daughter."

Liz's eyebrows furrowed. "That's right, I heard you were fostering children. What are they doing at the station in the middle of an investigation?"

"I picked them up before we caught the case and now we're waiting on their babysitter," Olivia snapped. "Now, if you're done getting in our way, I'm going to put my daughter back to bed. And if you EVER intimidate her, in any way, ever again, you'll regret it."

"Is that a threat Detective?" Liz all but growled, taking a step closer and causing Maggie to whimper and cling tighter to Olivia's neck.

Olivia held Maggie tighter and gave Liz a look that had scared many a perp into either confessing or wetting themselves. Sometimes both. "You bet your prissy, holier than thou ass it is," she ground out before spinning on her heel and carrying Maggie back up to the crib.

"I don' like that lady," Maggie whimpered, holding onto Olivia tightly. "She's scary."

Olivia sighed and brushed a kiss over her blonde curls. "She's not really scary sweetheart. She's scared."

"How come?" Maggie asked as Olivia settled her onto the bottom bunk.

"Because a bad person took two little girls and Ms. Donnelly wants to find them."

"Oh," Maggie said softly. "They lost?"

"Kind of sweetie. Now it's time for little girls to go to sleep."

Maggie let Olivia tuck her into bed and clutched her teddy bear to her chest. "You an' Elliot find them?"

"Yeah Maggie. Elliot and Uncle John and Uncle Fin and Captain Cragen and I are going to find them."

"Livvy, I miss my bed," Maggie whispered, snuggling into the pillow. "It's more comfier."

Olivia chuckled as she nuzzled Maggie's neck. "Soon sweetheart. Maureen will be here and she'll take you home and tuck you into your own bed."

"You too, Livvy?"

"No Maggie Mae, Elliot and I are going to stay here so we can find those little girls."

"Okay." Maggie smiled sleepily. "Love you, Livvy."

"I love you too Maggie Mae." Olivia bent and kissed her forehead gently. "Now you stay up here until I come to get you, okay?"

Maggie nodded as she closed her eyes and drifted off. Olivia waited until she was sure Maggie was asleep before tiptoeing out of the room and closing the door most of the way behind her. She hurried down the stairs and found Elliot bouncing Jacob gently in his arms as the baby fussed.

"Olivia, glad you're back. Apparently the two daycares both went to the Central Park Zoo last week for a field trip. It's a long shot, but we're running the employees through the system. Plus," he grinned. "Someone wants his mama."

Olivia took Jacob, cooing softly to him as she sat at her desk and began working on her part of the list. It was slow going, entering every name into the nationwide criminal database.

Maureen walked into the station and was struck by the feeling of both frantic searching and startling quiet. All of the detectives hunched over their computers, glancing between the paper holders and the monitors, then writing furiously. As she watched, Munch stood from his desk, stretched slightly, and glanced in her direction.

"Hello there Maureen," he smiled. "What are you doing here?"

Maureen smiled as she walked over and kissed his cheek. "I'm coming to pick up the kids, Uncle John."

Olivia smiled as she walked over with Elliot. "Thanks for coming, Maureen."

"Don't worry about it. We're going to your place?" Maureen asked, reaching up to return her father's hug.

"Yep. I'll be back in the morning, at least to take the kids to school. What time do you have class in the morning?"

"Not until 10, tomorrow's my late day, so I could take the kids if you wanted."

Olivia shook her head and smiled. "Thanks anyway, but I'd like to see them. You can crash in my bed tonight."

"No problem. Where are Maggie and Brian?"

"In the crib, already asleep. If you can take Jay here for me, your dad and I can go up and get them."

Maureen's blue eyes lit up. "Well hand the little angel over!" she exclaimed, taking Jacob into her arms. "Hello sweetheart. Who's the sweetest little baby ever? Jacob is. Yes, that's you little man."

Elliot glanced over his shoulder somewhat nervously as he and Olivia ascended the stairs. "Should I be worried that my daughter is so in love with your baby?"

"At least it's my baby and not one of her own," Olivia pointed out with a grin.

"Don't even joke about that Liv. Those are the kinds of things nightmares are made of."

She chuckled softly as she pushed the door to the crib open. "Brian," she called softly. "Maggie. Come on guys, time to wake up."

"Wha?" Brian mumbled as he rolled over, blinking. "Why?"

"Maureen's here sweetheart. She's going to take you home so you can sleep in your own bed and get a good night's sleep before school tomorrow."

"Aw man, I still have to go to school tomorrow?" Brian whined.

"I thought you liked school?" Olivia asked as she sat down on the bed and brushed a hand over his hair.

"I do. But it'd be way more cool to hang out here all day and watch you catch bad guys. Alex would be so jealous!"

Both adults chuckled. "It's not that fun, Bri. All you'd be watching us do is toss around ideas and look stuff up on the computer. We catch most of the bad guys out in the streets and it's way too dangerous for you to come," Elliot said, shaking his head.

"Oh," Brian said, disappointed. "Are you and Olivia gonna be safe?"

"We watch out for each other," Olivia assured him. "We'll be fine. Come on now, out of bed. Maureen's waiting and morning's going to come awfully early for you."

Brian slid out of bed reluctantly and pulled on his jeans under the oversized t-shirt he'd been sleeping in. He let Olivia bundle him into his coat and accepted his backpack still half asleep. He watched Elliot walk over to Maggie and lift her gently into his arms, wrapping the blanket around her and doing his best not to wake her.

They walked slowly down the stairs, Olivia first with Brian leaning against her side as he walked, her arm around his shoulders and Elliot following with Maggie in his arms. After saying goodnight to the rest of the squad they walked outside, Maureen with them and carrying Jacob in his carrier. Elliot hailed a cab and gave the driver Olivia's address.

Olivia bent and pressed a kiss to Brian's head. "Goodnight honey. You be good for Maureen and help her with Maggie and Jacob, okay? I promise I'll be there to take you to school in the morning."

Brian nodded solemnly. "We'll be good. Catch the bad guys, okay? What'd they do, anyway?"

Olivia crouched down and kissed Brian's nose. "That is for grownups to know and little boys not to worry about."

"Okay, okay. Night Olivia." He kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too Brian."

Brian then reached up and hugged Elliot around the waist. "Night Elliot. I love you."

"Love you too, Bri," Elliot smiled, hugging him with the arm that wasn't carrying the still-sleeping Maggie.

Brian slid tiredly into the cab as Olivia handed Maureen a single key on a keychain. "This will get you in the townhouse. My alarm code is written on the back of the keychain so make sure you don't lose it. The kids shouldn't have any trouble going to bed and you can crash in my room so they can find you if they need to. Jacob's been taking a bottle around 11:30 or midnight, then sleeping through until about 5. Call as soon as you're in the house with the door locked and if you have any questions."

Maureen nodded. "We'll be fine Olivia, don't worry."

She nodded and pulled the blanket back slightly from Jacob's face in the carrier. "Goodnight big boy. I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed his forehead and smiled when he snuffled in response. "I love you, baby."

Elliot kissed Jacob's cheek, hugged Maureen with one arm, and helped them slide into the cab, then leaned Maggie down so Olivia could cuddle her.

"Livvy?" Maggie yawned. "Where we goin'?"

"You're going to go home with Maureen sweetheart. I'm staying at work and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Maggie nodded sleepily. "K. Love you, Livvy."

Olivia kissed the little girl's cheek and nuzzled her neck. "I love you too Maggie Mae. Sleep tight."

Maggie held out her arms to Elliot for a hug. "Love you Elliot."

Elliot beamed as he held Maggie close. "I love you, Maggie."

Olivia took Maggie back and bent, settling her into the cab. As they drove away, Maureen smiled and waved, Maggie nestled against her side and already asleep again.

As she watched them drive away, Olivia had to fight tears. Elliot rested a gently hand on her lower back and rubbed gently. "You okay?"

She nodded, then sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, it's just my first night away from them. I feel so awful putting work before them."

"You don't have a choice, Liv. Unless you want to change units…"

"I don't. But I don't want them to feel abandoned either."

"They won't sweetheart. You'll all get used to the hours. And in a few months, they won't be able to imagine anything else." Olivia sighed and Elliot rubbed her lower back gently. "They'll be fine Livia. And so will you."

She nodded and they walked together into the station house. Two hours later, she was ready to beat her head against her keyboard in frustration. There had been no matches yet between the workers in the Central Park Zoo and any released sex offenders. Maureen had called half an hour after they left to let Olivia know that they were home, the kids were in bed, the doors were locked, and the alarm was on. Now that she was assured that her children and Maureen were safe, Olivia was refocused and ready to find those little girls.

"Damn!" Fin exclaimed triumphantly. "Joseph Menke, paroled from Attica four months ago served twelve years for molesting a 6-year-old girl at a carnival he was traveling with at the time. He works as a janitor at the zoo."

"Do we have a last known address?" Elliot asked as he stood, grabbing his coat.

"Yep, 112 Touhy in the Bronx."

"Let's go see what Mr. Menke was doing this afternoon," Olivia grinned. She loved the rush of chasing down a lead, then the interrogation that followed.

"Elliot and Olivia go bring him down here, Munch and Fin I want you both looking through Menke's files to see what we can learn about him."

"Got it," Elliot grabbed the sedan keys and they headed to the door together.

Elliot pounded on the door of Joseph Menke. After a few minutes, the locks clicked and the door opened to reveal a sleepy man in boxer shorts and a t-shirt.

"D'you know time it is?" he mumbled, yawning slightly.

"I doubt Theresa Milner and Kayla Jeffries care what time it is," Olivia snapped, glaring at him.

"Who?" Menke mumbled.

"Mind if we come in?" Elliot asked, trying to look around the still half asleep man and into the rest of the apartment.

Menke sighed and stepped back. "Make if fast," he grumbled. "I have to be at work at 6:00."

"At the Central Park Zoo, right?" Olivia asked, wrinkling her nose slightly at the messy apartment. Take out containers covered the coffee table of the living room, the kitchen table, counters, and over-flowing out of the trash can.

"Yeah," Menke mumbled as he grabbed a carton of orange juice from the fridge and drank it straight from the carton. He made a face and looked at the detectives. "Can this ferment?"

"Yes," Elliot sighed. "Where were you this afternoon about 4:45?"

"Work," Menke answered without a beat. "I work every day from 6-6."

"No breaks?" Olivia asked, trying not to touch anything.

"I ate lunch from noon until 1."

"What about after work?" Olivia questioned, arching an eyebrow.

"I work twelve hours a day. I came home, had some Chinese, and went to bed. What's this all about?"

"Don't you watch the news?"

"No, not really. Why?"

"Do these children look familiar to you?" Elliot pushed pictures of the girls at Menke.

He squinted at the pictures and paused. "Um…wait…yeah, I think they were at the zoo a few weeks ago. Why?"

"Because they went missing today!" Olivia exclaimed, frustrated.

Menke's eyes narrowed. "So you come straight to me, the sex offender, right?"

"It looks pretty suspicious pal. Child molester works at a zoo," Elliot smirked.

"Wow, you guys really don't do any research, do you?" Menke smirked. "I'm a zoology major, I'm hoping to get a job as a zookeeper. But first, I'm paying my dues cleaning up monkey shit and ice cream wrappers."

"But you're still attracted to little girls, right?" Elliot all but growled.

"Look, I'm taking the shots! If you don't believe me call my PO! Call the fucking doctor at the clinic, I haven't missed one."

"We'll do that," Olivia promised.

"But…someone took those girls?"

"Yeah," Elliot sighed.

"Well if you're done harassing me, you might want to ask Larry Robeson."

"Who?" Olivia asked. "That name wasn't on the list of employees."

"He doesn't work at the zoo, he's a regular though. Hangs out around the petting zoo."

"One of your friends?" Elliot sneered.

"No, he just seems…off. Slow or something."

"Dangerous?" Olivia asked, wheels spinning in her head.

"No, I would have reported him if he did."

"Because you're such an upstanding citizen?" Elliot rolled his eyes.

"Because I want to keep my job! Look, check out Robeson or not I really don't care. All I know is that I didn't take those girls."

"Hold it," Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Do you know the last name of everyone who goes to that zoo?"

"Of course not," Menke sighed. "But this guy, he's there like every day. He introduced himself. Can I go back to bed now?"

"Sure," Elliot grumbled, irritated that they hadn't gotten anything out of him. He and Olivia climbed into the sedan and as they pulled away, Olivia sighed.

"I believe the idiot," she grumbled. "Yeah, he's a moron, but I really don't think he took them."

"I want to check his check out time at the zoo, but I agree. Let's check out this Robeson person. It can't hurt."

As soon as they got back to the station, Elliot sat down at his computer and began trying to find information on Larry Robeson. Olivia leaned over his shoulder. "No police file," she murmured softly. "Do we have a last known address?"

"Liv," Elliot spoke softly, arching an eyebrow. "If you don't stop standing so damn close to me wearing that perfume, I'm going to haul you into an interrogation room and give everyone here a show."

"Oh," Olivia said, blushing as she stepped back quickly. "Sorry."

"Larry Robeson doesn't have a driver's license, isn't registered to vote…"

"Social Security?"

"Wait a second, he gets government assistance checks."

"Where do they get sent to?"

"Assisted living in Harlem, want to head up there?" Elliot arched brow.

"Yeah, but I don't imagine the house mother will be too happy with us at 2:00 in the morning," Olivia pointed out.

"She can complain after we get Kayla and Theresa." Elliot answered firmly.

Twenty five minutes later Elliot and Olivia were standing in front of the assisted living facility, a middle aged woman wearing a robe in front of them.

"Larry hasn't been here for a week," she said, shivering slightly.

"Where is he?" Elliot asked, brows furrowing.

"I'm not sure, last Wednesday he went to the Central Park Zoo like he always does and he didn't come home."

"Didn't that set off any warning bells?" Olivia questioned.

"Not with Larry," the woman answered adamantly. "He'll disappear for a few days then come back. This is the longest he's ever been gone."

"How often does he pull these disappearing acts?"

"Not often. Maybe every two months or so."

"And you have no idea where he goes?" Elliot sighed.

"He doesn't have any family, his parents died several years ago and he's an only child. He likes to go to the Central Park Zoo during the day. He's there everyday. If you're looking for him, you might try there tomorrow."

Olivia arched an eyebrow. "Any part of the zoo in particular?"

"He liked the petting zoo, Larry loves animals."

"And children?" Elliot's voice chilled.

"Does he like children? I guess so. Larry is slow, mentally. He relates well to young children, they're on the same level."

Olivia sighed. "If you hear from him, call us right away," she said, handing over her card.

"I will. He's not in any trouble is he?"

"We're investigating the disappearance of two little girls. They went to the Central Park Zoo last week and one of the employees mentioned Larry's name. Said he hangs around the petting zoo," Elliot sneered.

"I'll call as soon as I see him," the woman promised. "But I can't imagine that he'd hurt someone."

"Well that was a bust," Olivia grumbled, climbing back into the car with an exhausted sigh. "We're still no closer to finding those girls than we were two hours ago."

"I know. Maybe Munch and Fin found something more substantial?"

"Gee El, I never knew you were such an optimist," Olivia rolled her eyes.

He shrugged. "It could happen."

They arrived back at the station at 3:30 and found Cragen waiting for them. "Where are Munch and Fin?" Elliot asked, looking at the empty squad room.

"We've hit a wall, I sent them home to get some sleep. You two head home too."

"Cap, those girls are still missing," Olivia protested.

"I know but hopefully everyone can start with a fresh head tomorrow morning. I want everyone here by 8. 7:30 if you can manage it. I want you two at the Zoo first thing."

"We'll head straight there," Elliot promised, turning to Olivia. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she nodded. They walked to the car and slid in, Olivia reached over, linking her fingers with Elliot's. "It makes my heart hurt," she sighed. "Thinking of those two little girls out there, away from their families, their moms and dads, scared…"

"Oh Liv," he sighed, bringing her fingers to his lips gently. "I know. And we'll find them. But right now, just think of what you're going home to."

She smiled slightly. "You coming back to my place?"

"If you don't mind. Honestly? I don't want to go home and think of Kayla and Theresa either."

They turned the corner onto Olivia's block and her heart dropped. All she could see were flashing lights from the ambulance in front of her townhouse.


	12. Chapter 12

She gripped Elliot's hand tightly. "Stop here," she demanded, voice shaking.

Elliot pulled over and stopped the car. Before he'd managed to put it in park, Olivia was leaping from the car and racing towards the ambulance, pulling out her shield. "Benson, SVU. What's going on? Where are my children?" she demanded.

"Children?" the paramedic asked, confused. "There weren't any children in the house, Detective."

"What?" Olivia exclaimed, more panicked than she was before. "I'm telling you my children were in that townhouse, there are three of them…"

"Livia," Elliot called from the back of the ambulance where he was looking at the stretcher in. Olivia didn't turn from her interrogation of the other paramedic. "Liv. OLIVIA!"

"What?" she exclaimed, fear darkening her eyes to almost black.

"Look," he said, holding out a hand and drawing her over to the ambulance.

Olivia peered into the back of the ambulance and froze. "Mrs. Burlini," she gasped at the sight of her elderly neighbor laying on the stretcher. "What happened?"

"She fell in the kitchen, set off her MedicAlert bracelet."

"My children," she sighed. "They're alright then. Mrs. Burlini," she called into the ambulance.

"She's unconscious."

Olivia nodded. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for jumping down your throats."

The first paramedic smiled. "Don't worry about it, I have kids, I know the worry."

Elliot rested a gentle hand on Olivia's back. "Let's go see the kids."

She nodded, even more exhausted than she had been, and they walked up the steps to her townhouse together. When they reached the door Olivia was relieved to find it locked. She unlocked it and they stepped into the darkened entryway. After shutting the door, locking it behind them, and turning on the alarm, Olivia sighed. "I'm going to go check on the kids. Do you want something to drink?"

"Neither of us needs the caffeine that's in coffee. How does tea sound?" he offered, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

"Great, thanks," Olivia smiled thankfully.

"I'll put the water on, then meet you upstairs."

Olivia nodded and headed up the stairs. She stopped first in Brian's room and smiled. He was sleeping on his back, his arms and legs thrown out to the sides and the blankets pushed off the foot of the bed. With a tender smile, Olivia gently tucked Brian's limbs back onto the bed, then pulled his blankets up, tucking him in. She sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked his hair back from his face. She bent and brushed a kiss over his forehead. "I love you Brian," she whispered. Brian shifted in his sleep, smiled, and sighed.

As the hand closed on her shoulder, Olivia jumped to her feet and spun around, only to trip on Brian's stuffed lion and stumble. Elliot caught her and pulled her against his chest. "It's okay sweetheart," he murmured. "It's just me."

"I know," she murmured, keeping her voice low to avoid waking Brian. "But you scared five years off of my life. Try to make a little more noise, okay? Ninjas are noiser."

Elliot chuckled, a sound which rumbled through his chest and against her cheek, soothing her. "I'll try to knock into a few walls while I'm walking to give you warning and I'll make sure to slam the doors open, okay?"

"That could work," Olivia teased.

"Is our boy asleep?" Elliot glanced over her shoulder and saw Brian curling himself into a ball.

Olivia nodded into his chest. "Like an angel."

"Ready to go check on Maggie?"

Olivia nodded again. "I've been waiting for you."

Elliot grinned, hearing a deeper message in her seemingly innocent words. "Thank you." He released her with a gentle kiss to the top of her head and padded over to the bed. He brushed Brian's hair off of his face and kissed his forehead gently. "Good night, Bri. I love you."

Brian stayed asleep but shifted towards Elliot's hand and smiled. Olivia linked fingers with Elliot and they tiptoed quietly out of the room, leaving the door cracked open just in case. When they entered Maggie's room, Olivia let out a sigh of relief. Intellectually, she knew that Maggie was tucked into bed, safe and sound, but the mother in her had needed to see first hand that, despite what had happened to Kayla and Theresa, her own little girl was safe. Maggie was tucked firmly under the covers, arms wrapped tightly around her stuffed bear and Cinderella doll. She smiled in her sleep, turning towards the door. Olivia sat on the edge of her bed and smoothed Maggie's hair back. Maggie shifted, turned her face into Olivia's hand, and blinked her eyes open.

"Livvy?" she murmured, sleepily.

"Right here baby girl, you go back to sleep."

Maggie smiled and hugged Olivia's arm to her. "You an' Elliot find the little girls?"

Olivia shook her head. "Not yet sweetheart."

"But we will," Elliot added with a gentle smile for the little girl.

Maggie's eyes focused on him and she smiled softly. "Elwiot," she whispered, holding out her arms.

Elliot obliged her with a hug and kissed her cheek. "You go back to sleep now Maggie Mae. We're going to be downstairs."

Maggie nodded and smiled. "I love you, Elwiot. Love you, Livvy."

"Love you too Maggie," Elliot smiled, kissing her cheek.

"I love you, Maggie," Olivia murmured, gathering the little girl close for a moment before kissing the top of her head and settling her back under the covers. "Night night, sleep tight," she began.

"Don' let bed bugs bite!" Maggie giggled as she pulled her stuffed animals close to her again and quickly fell back to sleep.

Olivia paused for a moment longer to watch Maggie sleep, her dreams remarkably untroubled by her past. Finally, she turned and she and Elliot crept into her own bedroom. Once there, she had to bite back a chuckle which threatened to erupt. Maureen was sound asleep in the bed, looking like she'd just fought a very violent war with the blankets. They were wound around her legs, half on the floor.

Elliot snuck over to the bed and allowed himself the luxury of tucking his first born into bed. When Maureen was back under the covers Elliot turned to see Olivia standing against the crib, cradling the baby to her, tears bright in her eyes. Elliot walked over silently and wrapped his arms around both of them.

"We have to find them," Olivia whispered, careful not to wake the baby in her arms.

"We will. But we won't without sleep."

Olivia nodded and kissed Jacob's cheek. "I love you baby boy."

"Sleep tight little man," Elliot murmured as he bent down to kiss the sleeping baby. Olivia turned, reluctantly laid the sleeping baby back in the portacrib. Knowing that she could, and would, have stayed there all night, Elliot linked fingers with her and gently drew her out the door and downstairs. "Why don't you grab a seat in the living room and I'll bring in the tea?"

"You don't have to do that, you're just as tired as I am."

Elliot smiled and kissed her gently. "I'll only be a minute. You can warm up the couch for me."

"Seat warming, got it," Olivia smiled, reaching up to kiss him again. She walked into the living room and stared at the sofa bed, debating. She grabbed the cushions, tossed them on the floor, and pulled out the sofa bed. She grabbed the blankets from her hall closet and returned to the living room to find Elliot waiting with two mugs.

"I wondered where you disappeared to," he smiled.

"I thought we'd be more comfortable if we could stretch out," Olivia explained, arranging the blankets.

"Sounds good to me." Elliot waited until Olivia was settled on the bed, sitting against the back with the blankets tucked over her legs before he handed a steaming mug down to her and settled next to her. "Do you want music?" she asked taking a sip of her tea and smiling slightly when she realized that Elliot had remembered to add both milk and honey to her tea.

Elliot shook his head. "This is good. Wanna talk? This is your first case like this since becoming a mom."

"No, I want to find those little girls." At Elliot's long look, Olivia sighed. "I'm not going to say that I'm fine, because we both know that these cases suck. But for now, I just want to stay here, with you."

"I think that can be arranged." Elliot shifted so his arm was tucked behind her back, drawing her close to him.

"Do…" Olivia took a deep breath. "Do you want to stay tonight?"

Elliot smiled. "Sounds great." He paused. "Um, do you want me to climb on top of the blankets?"

Olivia tilted her head to look at him, eyebrows arched. "You're kidding, right?"

"Just making sure," he grinned. "Do you think you can sleep?"

"I should. And so should you. Tomorrow's going to be long and we have to be back at the station in a few hours."

"Today," Elliot corrected as he set both tea mugs on the end table and slid down, still holding Olivia to him.

"Huh?" she asked, shifting so she was more comfortable, her head on his chest and her arm around his waist.

"Today, not tomorrow."

"You sound like…Munch," Olivia murmured, her sentence interrupted by a large yawn.

"Uh-huh," Elliot teased softly. "You're just saying that because you know I'm right."

"El?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

They lay in silence for several minutes before Olivia spoke again. "Elliot? Are you awake?"

"Hm? What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I can't sleep."

"Do you want your tea?"

She shook her head against his chest. "Talk to me."

"I thought you wanted me to shut up?" he teased, rubbing her back gently. At her narrowed look, he sighed. "What do you want to talk about?"

Olivia's lips pursed. "Tell me a story about when you were a kid."

Elliot chuckled. "A story about when I was a kid? Okay, um, here it goes. One summer, when I was about 11 and my brother Joshua was 10, I decided that I wanted to be a stunt double when I grew up. I watched all of the action movies and thought I could do some of the stunts. So I convinced Josh that we should try it."

"Uh oh," Olivia chuckled. "What stunt?"

"We decided that, well, I decided that we should parachute off of the roof. So we took two bed sheets, held onto the corners, and jumped."

"What happened?" Olivia gasped.

"Well, I went first, because I was older. The sheet got caught in the tree branches so I hung for a few seconds. Until the branch gave out and I fell. Josh started screaming for Mom and it turns out that I'd broken my left arm when I fell. So for the rest of the summer I was grounded, stuck at home with extra chores for being stupid enough to try to jump off of the roof and, more importantly, for dragging Josh with me. Plus I couldn't go swimming or play baseball for the rest of the summer."

"That must have been the worst part," Olivia sympathized sleepily.

"Pretty much."

"Promise me something?"

"Of course," Elliot smiled.

"You didn't even ask what I want you to promise. But promise that you won't tell this story to Brian?"

"I promise."

"So you gave up your stunt man dreams?"

Elliot chuckled, the sounds rumbling through her body as he began to stroke her hair gently. "You'd think. But nope, less than a week after getting my cast off, I tried parachuting off the roof again. But I was smarter this time. I tried to use a garbage bag and avoided the tree. Instead, I ended up in the bushes, with splinters in places that it's best not to mention." When that last sentence didn't get a chuckle, or any kind of reaction, Elliot looked down to see Olivia curled around him, sound asleep. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to overcome him.

Olivia wasn't sure what time it was when she felt a pair of little fingers trying to pry her eyelids open. "Livvy?" Maggie asked softly. "Livvy why you sleepin' on the couch? Why's Elwiot here?"

Olivia blinked her eyes open, capturing Maggie's little hands in hers. "Come here sweetheart," she whispered, pulling Maggie onto the bed. "Elliot and I fell asleep because we're tired. Come on, let's go back to sleep."

Maggie nodded. "Okay, love you, Livvy. Night night." She nestled down between Elliot and Olivia and smiled, feeling safe and warm in their arms.

"Dad?" Maureen asked not much later. "Olivia? What are you guys doing here?"

Elliot opened his eyes and was about to sit up when he realized that one arm was trapped beneath Olivia and Maggie. "What time is it?" he rasped.

"Six-thirty."

"Thanks sweetie," he smiled blearily up at his daughter. "Can you take Maggie upstairs? Olivia and I have to go back to the station."

"Already?" she asked, surprised.

Elliot nodded. "It's a big case."

"Theresa and Kayla," Maureen nodded. "It was on the news." Maureen bent over and reached down to gather Maggie into her arms. "I'm going to put her back to bed, good luck."

Elliot nodded. "Thanks sweetie. We'll call if we need you to pick the kids up."

"No problem, I only have class until 4:30 today so I can get them from daycare." Maureen turned and carried Maggie upstairs, murmuring softly to her.

Elliot smiled and leaned over, kissing Olivia gently. "Olivia," he whispered softly. "Wake up sweetheart."

"Hm?" she hummed, smiling as she opened her eyes. "This is a nice way to wake up."

"I like it myself. But we have to get down to the station." Elliot regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. The sleepy, contented look disappeared from her eyes, wiped away by the memory of the case, only to be replaced by the look of sadness and determination that Elliot had become used to over the past eight years.

"I'll jump in the shower and start coffee," Olivia shifted.

"Don't worry about coffee, Maureen's grabbing it," Elliot promised. "If you want to jump in the shower, I'll help get the kids ready, and then I'll jump in."

"Sounds like a plan," Olivia nodded.

When they walked into the station an hour later, things were already buzzing. "Any leads?" Elliot called out as Olivia headed straight for the coffee pot to refill their travel mugs.

"Nothing new from last night," Cragen answered. "You and Liv head down to the zoo and see if you can find Robeson. Munch and Fin will recanvass the areas of the abductions."

"Fun," Munch groaned. "Why do we always get the shitty jobs?"

"Because you piss too many people off," Fin answered testily.

"Come on Olivia," Elliot chuckled. "This could take all day."

"I think they do that just to put off doing something they don't want to," Olivia whispered as they left the station house.

"Just like Brian will," Elliot chuckled. When they were back in the car, stuck in traffic on their way to the Central Park Zoo, Elliot reached over to link fingers with her. "This morning was nice."

She nodded and smiled slightly. "I wish it could have been under better circumstances," Olivia answered softly.

"We'll get those," Elliot promised. "Are we still on for Friday night?"

"Unless you don't want to be," Olivia answered, suddenly nervous.

"I want to," Elliot smiled. "I just wanted to make sure that you still did. Dinner on Friday, then spend Saturday with the kids?"

"Sounds perfect." Olivia sighed as they pulled into the zoo parking lot. "I don't have a good feeling about this, El. I just don't."

They walked through the zoo quietly, occasionally whispering about one person or another, looking for Robeson. To anyone watching, they would have looked like an average couple, spending a day at the zoo. After almost two hours of wandering, in addition to three cups of coffee each, a soft pretzel, and, at Elliot's insistence, a funnel cake, Olivia gripped Elliot's arm tightly.

"There he is," she whispered. "One o'clock, on the bench."

Elliot nodded. "I see him." Elliot drew up to a stop at a nearby exhibit, using the time and positioning to observe Robeson without him noticing them, even though he was far too engrossed in watching the animals to pay attention to anything else. "Looks to be about 5'10", 185 lbs," Elliot murmured. "Trench coat."

"Of course," Olivia rolled her eyes. "Typical perv outfit." She paused. "I think we should tail him."

"Instead of busting him here?" Elliot asked, surprised. He would have thought that Olivia would want to get Robeson the first chance they had.

"If we bring him down to the station, how long will it take us to crack him?" she asked. "It could take us longer to crack him than it would take him to lead us to Kayla and Theresa."

Elliot nodded. "As long as Cap okays it, I have no problem with that. I'll call him, you keep an eye on our guy."

Olivia nodded, pretending to be engrossed in the elephant exhibit while really watching Robeson. Elliot was back in less than five minutes. He nodded casually and peered at Robeson. "Nothing?"

"I have a feeling we're settling in for a long haul here."

It was nearly three hours later when Robeson finally stood up and shuffled towards the exit. Olivia immediately perked up. It was about freaking time, she thought crossly. She'd tired of the smell of elephants after fifteen minutes and now she thought she was probably immune to it. She nudged Elliot who was midway through his third soda in as many hours.

"I hope you don't have to pee," she warned. "This may be it."

They straightened and began following Robeson at a careful distance. He walked out of the park, picking up speed slightly as he headed down the block, walking. After fifteen blocks, Elliot risked a sidelong at his partner. "Liv?"

"You have to pee, don't you?"

"I was just wondering if Munch and Fin are still tailing us."

"Three cars back," she answered, making a sharp right at the corner.

"Then yes, I do. I'm going to step into that Starbuck's and Fin can follow with you. Munch will drive me to catch up."

A single eyebrow arched. "Munch? Drive? Elliot, you're sleep deprived."

"Fine, Munch will go with you, Fin can drive me."

"You're telling them," Olivia grumbled. "Wait! Elliot, there!" Robeson had turned down an alley and they followed, quickening their pace until they saw him climb into an abandoned building. Olivia grabbed her radio, told Munch and Fin where they were going, and asked for backup.

Elliot unholstered his gun and followed Robeson silently through the window. He dropped to the ground and waited, gun trained in the direction of the fading sounds of Robeson's footsteps. Olivia landed next to him and Fin and Munch followed. They crept down the hall until they heard a door creak open and then slam shut.

They positioned themselves, Elliot nearest to the door to be the first one in, Olivia behind him and Munch and Fin across from them. "Larry Robeson," Elliot called. "Police, come out with your hands up!"

For a heart stopping moment, there was nothing on the other side of the door, no threats, no gunshots and most terrifyingly, no children's voices. Then all four officers jumped as the door handle turned and opened.

Larry Robeson stood before them, confused. "They won't play with me," he said morosely.

Elliot and Olivia pushed passed Robeson and into the room while Munch and Fin slapped handcuffs on him. The sight that met their eyes froze them to one spot. Both little girls were laying on the bed, still as death.

Olivia all but dove for the girls, whispering their names and pressing her fingers to their pulse points. Neither girl woke up or moved but beneath her fingers, Olivia felt Theresa's pulse fluttering lightly under her fingers.

"Theresa's still alive, Elliot. Call a bus."

"Kayla?" Elliot's heart broke as Olivia shook her head. He grabbed his radio and called for the bus. "Is he saying anything?" Elliot asked, glancing out the door at Munch and Fin who shook their heads.

"They won't play with me, they're mean," Robeson answered.

"Take him in. Kayla's dead but Theresa's still alive. CSU and a bus are on their way."

Munch nodded solemnly. "Cap's on his way."

As Munch and Fin loaded Robeson into the car, Elliot turned back to Olivia who was kneeling next to Theresa, whispering gently to her and holding her hand. "It's okay, Theresa, you're safe now," Olivia murmured. "My name's Olivia, I'm a police officer. We're going to take you to a hospital and they'll make you feel much better and you can see your mommy and daddy. You're going to be okay sweetheart."

The ambulance arrived before CSU, screaming into the alley. They loaded Theresa onto a stretcher first, Olivia following her into the ambulance. "Elliot, call Cap?" she asked.

Elliot nodded. "I'll let Munch and Fin take him in, I'll stay here with CSU."

When Olivia arrived at the hospital, she briefed Dr. DelAmico, the same doctor she'd seen when she found Brian, Maggie, and Jacob, on the case and what to look for. She called Cragen and told him that she was planning on waiting until Theresa was out of the woods. Cragen answered that as soon as Elliot was done with CSU, he'd be bringing Theresa's parents by the hospital. Olivia settled against the wall of the ER hallway, watching through the doors as Dr. DelAmico tried to resuscitate Theresa's little body. Finally, Anna emerged from the ER, removed the blood spattered smock from her body, and stood in front of Olivia.

Olivia knew, before one word left the doctor's mouth, what she would say. "Theresa didn't make it," Olivia said hollowly.

Anna shook her head. "No," she said softly. "She was too dehydrated, I don't think that little girl had been given anything to drink or eat since she was taken."

"Was…was she raped?"

Anna shook her head again. "We did a rape kit, there were no fluids found. No bruising either. Looks like she was handled a little roughly, but no broken bones, nothing besides the dehydration and starvation. She was just too far gone Olivia. I'm sorry."

Olivia nodded. "My partner's on his way with her parents…"

"I'll make sure that she's cleaned up."

Olivia turned and walked down the hall, waiting for Elliot. But thinking about Theresa, just six years old, laying dead caused bile to rise in her throat. She turned and rushed into the bathroom, losing her lunch over the toilet. A tiny little girl, only a few years older that Maggie, abducted, murdered, and Olivia hadn't gotten there in time to save her. Tears streamed down Olivia's face for several minutes as she slumped against the stall wall. She managed to pull herself together and made her way to the sink, splashing her face with cold water before emerging from the bathroom and calling Elliot to give him a heads up.

Elliot walked into the ER, Theresa's parents with him. He saw Olivia sitting in the waiting room, looking fairly lost, but as soon as she saw them, she snapped into cop mode. "Mr. and Mrs. Milner, I'm Detective Benson, we met the other day."

"You were with Theresa when they brought her here, where is she?" Mr. Milner demanded.

"Dr. DelAmico will be with us shortly," Olivia answered, even as Anna approached.

"Mr. and Mrs. Milner? I'm Dr. DelAmico, I treated Theresa when she was brought in. She was brought in unconscious, severely dehydrated, and suffering from starvation. We worked on her for over an hour but she went into cardiac arrest. We tried everything we could, but we couldn't bring her back. I'm sorry."

Mrs. Milner collapsed against her husband, sobbing. She kept repeating "No, no, no, no," over and over. After several minutes, Olivia spoke up softly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Milner, if you'd like, Dr. DelAmico will take you to see your daughter now."

The Milners nodded, following Anna as if they were in a trance. Olivia turned to Elliot and he saw reflected in her dark brown eyes the same fear and sadness that he'd seen in his own eyes, almost since starting at SVU. He reached out and silently squeezed her hand. She squeezed back and after a moment, she nodded. "Did you drive them?"

Elliot shook his head. "They wanted to take their own car. They thought they'd be here for the long haul. Do you want to head back, leave a message for them that we're at the station?"

Olivia nodded. They walked out to the squad car in tandem. When they were seated, Elliot reached over to link fingers with Olivia. He glanced over worriedly. He'd put off thinking about this, the first case that they'd lose a victim since she'd gotten custody of the kids. But they'd lost not just one victim, but two, both of whom were little girls. "Liv?" he asked after several silent blocks.

"Hm?"

"Wanna stop and grab a coffee before we get back?" His thumb began rubbing gently against hers.

She didn't answer for long enough that Elliot was about to ask again when she nodded. "Okay."

Once they were seated at a back table of the closest Starbucks, a large plain black coffee in front of Elliot and a caramel Macchiato in front of Olivia, he waited, as patiently as he could, knowing that eventually, she would open up to him.

Finally, when her drink was half gone, Olivia looked up at him, tears filling her eyes, but refusing to fall. "I'm sorry," she all but whispered.

"Sorry?" Elliot asked. Of all the things he'd thought she might say, sorry wasn't one of them. "For what, honey?"

"All of those times, when you used to say it would be different if I had kids, that I'd understand…I hated it when you did that, like there was something I wasn't getting because I wasn't a mother. But you were right. It's not that I understand any more than I did, it's just…different."

Elliot nodded, understanding completely. "I know Liv. You just want to go home and lock the doors, keeping your kids inside and protected forever."

She nodded and murmured, "Something like that," into her coffee. "It's not enough, you know? We go to work every day and try to catch them. But for every pervert and sicko we take off the streets, there are so many others just waiting to strike. We're losing, El."

He reached over and laid a gentle hand over hers, rubbing circles in her palm when she turned her hand over in his. "You forgot the speech," he said with a gentle smile.

"The speech?" Olivia asked, confused.

"The speech you give me every time I start feeling that way. We're not losing this war, Olivia. We're winning because every pervert we get off the streets is one less who could possibly hurt one of our kids. You are such an amazing woman, Olivia. You help hundreds of people every year, because of you women, and children are able to wake up safe every morning and look at themselves in the mirror." He reached up a hand to gently brush a tear from her cheek. "You have opened your heart to all of the victims and their families and because of you, they are able to live each day. You opened both your heart and your home to three children, pulling them out of hell and giving them an amazing life."

"They're dead, Elliot. Two little girls who I couldn't save. They were only babies, and I couldn't bring them home."

Elliot sighed. "Olivia," he whispered. "You have worked your ass off for this case. You stayed up late, got a sitter for the kids. You did everything you possibly could to find those girls and bring them home."

"Everything wasn't enough."

"No, sometimes, our everything isn't enough. We're not perfect Liv, we're not superheroes. All we can do is do our best, every case, every time."

"And when it's not enough?"

"Then we fight that much harder the next time," he answered. After a few more minutes, Elliot squeezed her hand. "Ready to head back and finish the paperwork? Get home early?"

Olivia took a deep breath, then nodded. "Do, uh, do you want to come over for dinner? Bring your kids?"

Elliot beamed. "That sounds great. Let's go sweetheart." He helped her to her feet and gently pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head before they headed to the sedan.

That afternoon, after being sent home early and being told to take the next day off, Olivia drove to daycare herself. Elliot was on his way to pick up his kids from Kathy, he'd called and asked to see them, which she'd agreed to. Olivia walked into the daycare and headed straight for the school aged room. She looked around and felt panic squeeze her heart and steal her breath when she didn't see him.

Angela, the teacher in the school-aged room smiled up at the obviously frightened woman. "Brian asked if he could go into the preschool room with Maggie this afternoon."

Olivia's panic assuaged, her brow furrowed. "He did? Did he mention why?"

Angela smiled secretively but shook her head. "Nope. We let him head over because he said he didn't have homework. You might want to double check that one."

"Thanks," Olivia said with a smirk as she turned and headed for the preschool room and her children. When she entered the room, Brian and Maggie were bent over a table together with identical looks of concentration. Olivia cleared her throat softly and both children looked up, then beamed.

"Olivia!" Brian exclaimed as he raced over to hug her tightly. "You're early today!"

"Livvy!" Maggie squealed, crashing into both of them and all but trying to climb up Olivia's legs.

Olivia lifted Maggie into her arms, held her tightly for several moments, then crouched and pulled Brian into her arms also. "I missed you guys so much today," she whispered.

"We missed you too!" Brian exclaimed.

"Misseded you lots!" Maggie agreed.

"We made you something," Brian said, pulling out of Olivia's arms and blushing.

"You did?" she asked, stroking a hand gently over his cheek.

Brian nodded and reached behind him, pulling forward a piece of white construction paper which read, "We Love You, Olivia!" It was decorated with Maggie's scribbles and Brian's careful drawing of Olivia, in full beat uniform, Maggie and Brian standing next to her, and a baby carriage. On the other side of Brian was a picture which Olivia immediately recognized as Elliot.

When tears filled her eyes, Brian bit his lip nervously. "Don't you like it?" he asked softly.

"Oh Brian," Olivia pulled him back into her arms tightly. "I love it, sweetheart. This picture is perfect. This picture is exactly what I needed today."

Brian smiled. "Elliot has pictures his kids made on his desk, you didn't have anything."

"I cowood it, Livvy!" Maggie squealed.

"I see that, baby," Olivia beamed, kissing her cheek. "You colored it beautifully and this is, without a doubt, the best present I've ever gotten."

"Really?" Brian asked, half hoping, half disbelieving.

"Really. I'm going to put it up on my desk tomorrow, first thing. Are you guys ready to go home?"

Brian nodded. "Yep! No homework tonight!"

"Do you have your planner?" Olivia asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"In my bag. Is Elliot coming to dinner too?"

"He sure is," Olivia grinned as she stood, Maggie on her hip and one arm tucked around Brian's shoulder. "He went to Queens to pick up the kids."

"Lizzie an' Katie an' Reen?" Maggie asked hopefully.

"I don't know if Maureen will come or not," Olivia answered. "But Katie and Lizzie and Dickie will be there."

"Awesome! Pizza?" Brian grinned hopefully.

Olivia laughed, amazed at the ability of these children to heal her, soothing her raw nerves without even meaning to. "How about spaghetti instead?" she suggested, tweaking Brian's nose gently.

"Ice keem?" Maggie asked, grinning hugely.

"I can do ice cream. Let's get your things and get your brother and go home."

When they arrived at home, Olivia quickly found herself too busy being "mommy" to even let her mind drift back to the horrors of the day. Brian had a spelling test on Friday to study for, despite his technically honest claim that he didn't have homework. Olivia held Jacob in one arm while she started browning meat for spaghetti sauce while she quizzed Brian on his spelling words over the sounds of Maggie "playing kitchen" which was closer to simply banging on pots and pans with a wooden spoon.

At the sound of knocking on the door, Brian leapt up from the table, racing to answer it with Maggie hot on his heels. The front door opened and the volume multiplied as the kids began shouting over each other. Elliot hugged Brian and Maggie before stepping through his kids on his way to the kitchen. Finding Olivia padding barefoot around the kitchen, a pot of something that smelled great on the stove with a baby in her arms Elliot just beamed.

"Hey beautiful," he purred, sliding his arms around her waist and, Jacob nestled between them, kissed her soundly.

"Hey yourself," she smiled. "Where are the kids?"

"Brian and Dickie are upstairs, probably trying to destroy Brian's room, Maggie dragged the girls up to her room to play dolls. So it's just you and me."

Jacob, either hungry or tired of being squashed, let out a squawk and Olivia laughed. "And one very demanding little boy."

"Of course," Elliot smirked. He pulled back slightly and cupped her cheek gently. "How are you doing?" he asked softly, well aware that little ears popped up where you least expected them.

Olivia nodded, shifting Jacob to her shoulder. "Better. The kids…they drew me a picture today. I saw them at daycare and hugged them and it was like…all of a sudden, I could forget about it all, just put it on the back burner and be Mom because that was what I needed to do."

Elliot leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Good. Why don't I feed the little man here for you?"

"Sounds like an unfair trade. You get to cuddle my baby and I have to cook," Olivia teased.

"Well I would cook, but I don't know your recipe," Elliot grinned, slipping the baby into his arms.

"It's Ragu and pasta," Olivia rolled her eyes as she slid garlic bread into the oven. "Could you grab the salad mix out of the fridge for me?"

"No problem." Elliot handed over the salad as Olivia opened two cans of green beans and poured them into a pot on the stove. "So, our date on Friday?" he asked with a smile.

"You still want to do that?" she smiled over her shoulder.

Elliot turned from the microwave and settled himself into a kitchen chair, Jacob nestled his arms. "Don't you want to?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, even as his stomach clenched with fear.

"No, no I do," Olivia exclaimed quickly. "I just…I wasn't sure you still did."

"I do. Where do you want to go for dinner?"

"Hm, wherever?" Olivia suggested.

"Oh, now that we're dating you don't have a food preference?" Elliot teased.

Olivia smiled slightly. "My focus isn't exactly on dinner," she said softly.

Elliot stood, placed Jacob in his carrier, and stepped behind Olivia, resting his hands gently on her shoulders. He pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck and smiled as he felt the chills run through her body. "If you're not ready Olivia, I'll wait. I'll wait forever if I need to."

Olivia sighed, leaning against Elliot's chest and smiled as she tilted her head back to look up at him. "I'm ready. Really."

"You gonna sleep tonight?" Elliot asked softly, his fingers finding their way under her shirt to stroke lightly at her stomach.

She thought briefly about lying but ended up shrugging. "Maybe."

"After I drop the kids off, can I come back?" he whispered. "Just to sleep?"

"I'd like that," Olivia smiled.

She had just finished tucking Maggie and Brian into bed, after spending a little extra time cuddling with both of them, when there was a soft knock on her door. Olivia opened it and smiled at her partner. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey. Kids in bed?"

"Except for Jacob. Yours home?"

"Yep." Elliot stepped into the townhouse and shut the door softly behind him, well aware of the children sleeping upstairs. He watched Olivia move around the kitchen, balancing Jacob in one arm while she prepared his bottle with the other. "You're amazing, you know that Liv?"

"What?" she laughed, turning her face to him as she grabbed a burp rag with the hand that held the bottle.

Elliot slipped his arm around her waist and led her to the couch. He sat down, guiding her into his arms. "Look at you sweetheart. You're such a mom."

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked, eyebrow arching, as she slipped the bottle into Jacob's mouth.

"You look happy. Happier than I've seen you in a long, long time."

"I am," she whispered.


	13. Chapter 13

When the alarm rang the next morning, Olivia tried to roll over to turn over to make the incessant beeping stop, only to find herself restrained by an arm over her stomach. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into Elliot's deep blue eyes. "Morning," she whispered with a small smile.

"Morning," he echoed. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in ages," she smiled. "But I wish we didn't have to get up."

Elliot laughed. "We don't. Don told us to take the day off, remember?"

"That's right!" Olivia grinned. "What should we do today?"

"How about we wait until the kids get up, then decide?" he suggested. "Until then, we can sleep in."

Olivia groaned. "The kids. Brian has school today."

"There goes sleeping in," Elliot sighed, flopping back against the pillows, one arm over his eyes. "Unless…we can still sleep awhile, then drive Brian straight to school, instead of daycare and keep the little ones with us today."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," Olivia smiled as she reset the alarm, then snuggled back into Elliot's arms.

Sleep didn't last long as first Maggie padded into the room but she quickly snuggled in between the two of them and fell back to sleep. Less than fifteen minutes later Brian burst into the room, still in his pajamas. "Olivia!" he exclaimed. "We're late for daycare!"

Olivia sat up, hair tousled and eyes sleepy. "No sweetie, you're not going to daycare today."

Before she could say anything else, Elliot sat up and rubbed his eyes, giving up on sleep. Brian's eyes grew wide when he saw Elliot. "No!" he yelled, spinning around and running out of the room. A few seconds later the sound of Brian's bedroom door slamming echoed through the house.

Olivia and Elliot exchanged confused looks. "What was that?" Olivia asked.

"No idea," Elliot sighed. Jacob began to cry and Elliot rubbed a hand over his face. "You wanna take Jay and I'll try to figure out what's wrong with Brian? He wasn't upset until he saw me."

Olivia nodded and swung her legs over the side of the bed as Elliot began making his way to Brian's room. Elliot knocked gently on the door. "Brian? It's Elliot."

"Go away!" Brian yelled, tears obvious in his voice.

"Brian, I'm not going away. Please let me in?" When there was no response, Elliot pushed the door open and watched as Brian curled on the bed, sobbing. "Brian," he said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out to rub his back.

"I hate you," Brian whispered, moving away. "You shouldn't be here. Olivia's not like that."

"Not like what, buddy?"

"Not like my mom. She used to have men over, all night. They did bad things to her and they paid her to be with them. Mrs. Gutierez next door said that she was a whore. Olivia's not a whore!"

Elliot sat, stunned. This was the last thing he had expected. He wasn't even entirely sure how to handle Brian's reaction. "Brian," he said softly. "I know that Olivia's not a whore. Sometimes, Brian, a man and a woman spend the night together. They do it for different reasons. Last night, I spent the night here because Olivia and I were both really sad about something that happened at work yesterday. But if I spend the night here, I'm doing it because Olivia said that I could. That doesn't make her a bad person." He breathed deeply. "Bri, when a man and a woman are together, when they spend the night together, it's different if they love each other. Then it's okay."

Brian rolled over and looked at Elliot carefully. "Mrs. Gutierez said it was bad for men and women to be together."

"Sometimes it is. But most of the time, when the man and the woman know each other and love each other, then it's a normal thing. Do you understand?"

"It's not always bad when a man spends the night with a woman? It doesn't make Olivia bad that you're here?"

"No, it doesn't make her bad. When the men used to spend the night with your mom, where did you and Maggie go?"

"We had to stay in our room. We couldn't leave, even to use the bathroom. Sometimes, the men hit me and did bad things to Maggie. They were bad men."

"Have I ever hit you, Brian?"

"No."

"Have I done anything bad to Maggie? Or to hurt Olivia?"

"No," Brian sat up, bringing his knees to his chest. "But you're not bad."

Elliot smiled. "Can I let you in on a little secret Brian? Man to man?"

Brian nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. "I won't tell."

"Well, you know how when you're upset you want to be with Olivia because she makes you feel better?"

Brian nodded. "Because I love her."

"Well, I was pretty upset about work last night. And being here with you and Maggie and Jacob and Olivia makes me feel better too."

"How come?" Brian asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Because," Elliot grinned. "I love Olivia too. And you and Maggie and Jacob. And being with you all makes me feel better."

Brian grinned at that. "Do you really love Olivia?"

"A whole lot," Elliot answered. "But she doesn't know yet, so this needs to be our little secret, okay?"

Brian nodded and scooted closer to Elliot, sliding under his arm. "I won't tell. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I understand why you did," Elliot whispered, kissing the top of his head gently. "It's okay. Do you think it might be okay with you if I spent the night over here again?"

Brian paused, then nodded. "Does Olivia like it when you stay here?"

"Yeah, she does."

"Then it's okay if you stay over." Brian twisted and wrapped his arms tightly around Elliot's waist.

"I love you, Brian," Elliot whispered, kissing the top of the small blonde head again.

"I love you too, Elliot," Brian whispered fiercely.

Elliot sat, just holding onto Brian, rubbing his back and letting him calm down before he looked down with a smile. "Wanna head down for breakfast?"

"I hafta get dressed first," Brian answered, scrambling off the bed to pull clean jeans and a sweatshirt out of the closet. "How come we're not going to daycare?"

"Captain Cragen gave Olivia and me the day off."

"No school?" Brian asked, eyes lighting up.

Elliot chuckled. "Sorry buddy. You still have to go to school. I thought you liked school?"

"I do. But it'd be more fun to spend the day with you and Olivia."

"How about Olivia and I picking you up after school instead?"

Brian nodded as he pulled his sweatshirt over his head. He held out a hand which Elliot took and they walked together down to the kitchen. Maggie had woken up and was sitting at the table, playing with Cheerios while Jacob sat in his bouncy seat, cooing and waving an arm at the plastic key ring hanging above it. Olivia turned from the stove with a smile.

"Everything okay?" Olivia asked.

"Yep," Elliot grinned.

"Brian?"

"I'm okay. What's for breakfast?"

Olivia laughed as she held out her arms. Brian hugged her tightly. "How's scrambled eggs and bacon sound?"

"An' peanut butter toast!" Maggie called as she lifted her arms to Elliot.

"Yum!" Brian exclaimed.

After dropping Brian off at school, with a promise to pick him up at 3:30, Olivia looked over at Elliot. "Where to now?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that a quiet day at home with the kids sounds like a nice idea," she sighed then. "But Jacob's already growing out of his clothes and Maggie and Brian need summer clothes."

"Mall?" Elliot asked, somewhat resigned.

"If you don't mind."

"Nah, I'll keep the kids entertained. Is the stroller in the trunk?"

"Yep."

When they walked into the mall, Olivia headed towards the nearest department store, Elliot following and pushing the stroller. Maggie chafed at being confined. "I wanna walk, Elwiot."

"Sorry, sweetheart. Stroller for now, but you can walk later." They arrived at the baby department only a few minutes behind Olivia. She looked up from a rack of baby clothes, beaming. Her arms were already full of clothes.

"Look how cute these are!" she exclaimed.

Elliot chuckled. "What sizes are you getting?"

Olivia's brow furrowed. "Sizes? These are all three month. He's finally big enough to wear them."

Elliot stepped over to her and gently took some of the clothes out of her arms. "Liv, sweetheart, if you buy all of these clothes in the same size, Jacob will out grow most of them before he wears them. Babies grow fast."

She sighed. "How do I do this then?"

"Buy some clothes in three months, then buy stuff for later in the summer in six months. I'd even get some nine month clothes, just in case."

Olivia bit her lip and began sorting through the clothes. Spring clothes were bought in three months, summer clothes in both three and six months. She moved quickly through the store, stopping first in the boy's department. She found shorts, t-shirts, swimming suits, and a spring weight jacket before turning to nicer clothing. When they stopped in the girl's department though, Elliot watched Olivia's eyes light up.

"Liv," he warned. "Don't go overboard."

"I won't," she said, but he could tell she was only half listening. "Mags, wanna pick out some summer clothes?"

Maggie nodded and Olivia lifted her from the stroller. Elliot stood, holding Jacob and rocking back and forth. "She's teaching her early, son," Elliot chuckled at the baby. "Yep, your mama's gonna turn your sister into a shopper. And you and I are just along for the ride."

"I heard that," Olivia called from a few racks away. She didn't mention that it had made her stomach lurch with longing to hear Elliot call her Jacob's mother.

"I know," Elliot chuckled. "I can just imagine what's going to happen the first time you take the girls shopping with you. There won't be enough room in the car for all of your packages."

"Maybe you can take Brian and Dickie to do some manly bonding those days," Olivia teased.

"Livvy, I'm stuck!" Maggie called from inside a dressing room.

Olivia laughed as Maggie managed to exit the dressing room, a light purple dress over her head, arms in the air. "You sure are stuck. Let's see if we can get you out."

She unzipped the sundress and helped Maggie back into it before zipping it up again. "Perfect," she grinned.

"We done yet, Liv?" Elliot asked hopefully.

"Just about. We need shoes."

"Oh God, women and shoes," Elliot moaned.

"Like Livvy's!" Maggie exclaimed as they reached the shoe department. She immediately raced towards the women's shoes and grabbed a black boot.

Elliot laughed. "She's a clone Olivia. A tiny little blonde clone of you."

"Maybe we should try finding shoes in your size," Olivia suggested, taking the boot and placing it back on the shelf. She couldn't resist though and bought Maggie a pair of little black boots with half inch, if that, heels along with a pair of dress Mary Jane's, a new pair of pink sneakers, complete with pink sparkly shoelaces, white dress sandals, and a pair of little pink play sandals.

By the time Olivia had picked out two impossibly tiny pairs of shoes for Jacob, Elliot still didn't understand WHY a baby who couldn't crawl yet much less walk needed shoes, Maggie was tired and hungry, Elliot was hungry, and Jacob had fallen sound asleep in the stroller. "Lunch time?" Elliot asked almost hopefully.

Olivia laughed. "Lunch time. You wanna do sit down or food court?"

"Sit down, I feel like being served today."

Olivia laughed as Elliot slipped an arm around her waist, kissing the top of her head. "Sounds good. Mags, what do you feel like for lunch?"

"Ice keem!" Maggie squealed from Elliot's other arm.

"How about ice cream when we pick Brian up from school?" Olivia suggested.

"K. Grill cheese!"

"That we can handle, baby girl," Olivia chuckled.

While they sat waiting for their lunch to arrive, Maggie colored on the kids menu, Jacob slept in the stroller, and Elliot and Olivia sipped their sodas. "Anything else we need?" Elliot asked. "I can't imagine the kids need anymore clothes."

Olivia took a sip of her diet soda. "I realized last weekend that the kids need more books."

"Oh, you did?" Elliot chuckled. "So we're stopping by Barnes and Noble I take it?"

"Was thinking about it. But just a short trip, Maggie needs her n-a-p."

"You might want to look at public libraries for books."

"I want things they can keep," Olivia explained, opening a package of crackers and handing them to Maggie.

"I know, but the library in Queens has a book sale twice a year. It's something like two dollars to fill a brown paper bag."

"Wow," Olivia's eyes grew wide. "Sounds great." Their lunch arrived and Olivia cut Maggie's sandwich into little pieces before turning to her own fried chicken salad. They left the restaurant forty minutes later, Maggie starting to fade in the stroller and Jacob now awake and cooing. "Are they gonna ever sleep at the same time?" she chuckled.

"Well, give it about a year. Then maybe." He let out an 'oof' as Olivia elbowed him in the stomach. "What, it took forever for Dickie and Liz to get their sleeping coordinated."

Olivia rolled her eyes as they began to poke around the Barnes and Noble. She really wasn't sure what young boys liked to read. "Hey El? Gimme a hand with Brian's books?"

Elliot surveyed the books, then picked out a couple. "Dickie liked these. Plus, there's a nice mixture here."

"Wanna go look at picture books for Maggie?" Olivia suggested.

"Sure." Elliot looked over the section and noticed the display of Easter books. "Hey Olivia?"

"Hm?" she asked, half turning from the bookshelf, a book of Mother Goose rhymes in her hand.

"Easter's in two weeks."

"It is? Wow, seems like Christmas was just last week."

"Yeah, I was wondering if you and the kids would want to spend Easter with me?"

Olivia smiled, turning. "That sounds fun. Do you have the kids?"

"No, I had them for Christmas so Kathy gets them for Easter and I'll have them back for Thanksgiving. But the church has a big Easter Egg hunt after the service and the Easter Bunny comes."

"Isn't that a little sacrilegious, having the Easter Bunny at church?" Olivia smirked.

"Maybe," Elliot smirked back. "But the kids enjoy it." He grabbed a couple books on the Easter story, including _The Legend of the Three Trees_ which he'd loved when his own children were little. He searched until he found another book that Liz in particular had loved. "What do you have, Liv?"

Olivia turned, showing him _Mary Had a Little Jam_ which was a parody book of Mother Goose rhymes, it looked more entertaining than traditional Mother Goose. She also had a book about sheep who go shopping, and a copy of _Eloise_. "I loved Eloise when I was a kid."

"Yeah, she's a classic. I grabbed a couple of Easter books, figured the kids would appreciate the Mass more if they knew the Easter story."

"Probably true. What's that other one?"

"Um, I thought Maggie would enjoy _Olivia the Pig_."

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, eyebrows arching.

"It's a book!" Elliot backtracked quickly. "About a little pig, she's really cute, a lot like Eloise actually…I didn't name her!"

"The pig's name really is Olivia?" the human Olivia asked suspiciously.

"I swear," Elliot promised solemnly, holding out the book for her inspection. "Liz got a kick out of it when she was Maggie's age."

Olivia studied the book, then nodded. "Okay. Just so long as you're not implying anything."

"And what would I be implying?" Elliot asked. He set the books down on a shelf and wrapped his arms around her.

"Just making sure." Olivia grinned, reaching up to brush a kiss over his lips.

They were interrupted by giggling next to them. "Me too!" Maggie exclaimed.

"You too, huh little lady?" Elliot asked, lifting her into his arms.

"Me too," Maggie demanded again, puckering her little lips.

"You got it sweetheart," Elliot chuckled, kissing her waiting lips.

Maggie leaned down from Elliot's arms and kissed Olivia too. "Elwiot kiss Livvy," she crowed.

Olivia half laughed, half groaned. "There goes keeping anything a secret."

They paid for the books, including some little board books which they'd picked up for Jacob, and started heading home. As they pulled in front of the brownstone, Olivia muffled a yawn.

"I heard that," Elliot teased. "How about while the little ones here nap, we take a nap of our own?"

"I think I could handle that. We just have to make sure we're up to pick up Brian."

They exited the car, Elliot carrying the sleeping Maggie and Olivia carrying Jacob in his carrier. They balanced the bags between them. Elliot tucked Maggie into bed and found Olivia in her room settling Jacob in after a quick diaper change. He grinned and held out his hand. "Come here, babe."

Olivia accepted his hand and laughed as he pulled her onto the bed. "Thanks for spending the day with us," she grinned. "We had fun."

"So did I," Elliot smiled, leaning over to kiss her gently. "Even if you did spend an hour looking at pink frilly dresses."

"It wasn't an hour!" At Elliot's arched eyebrow she blushed. "Almost an hour."

"Alright, almost," Elliot agreed generously. "And you're going to do it again for Easter clothes, aren't you?"

She moaned. "Easter clothes, I didn't even think. I have to go buy Easter baskets, candy…what else do you put in them?"

Elliot smiled and stroked a hand over her hair. "You don't need to start worrying about it now. Easter isn't for two weeks yet. This weekend, we'll let Maureen or Katie watch the kids and we'll go shopping. Ready for a nap?"

Olivia grinned. "Always." She reached up and kissed his cheek. "You staying tonight?"

"I could be convinced," Elliot smiled, kissing her back. "But I don't have clothes here."

Olivia sighed. "You're right. We could swing by your place and pick them up after we pick up Brian?"

Elliot grinned and leaned over to kiss her gently. "I love your mind Liv." He began nibbling gently down her neck. "And your neck, and your very sexy collar bone," he murmured, kissing the areas as he named them.

Olivia arched into him, raking her fingers through his hair. She dragged his lips back up to hers and slanted her mouth expertly over his. She slid her hands down, catching the hem of Elliot's shirt and drawing it up and over his head while her nails ran slowly up his chest. "God, you're hot," she moaned.

"So are you," Elliot murmured, unbuttoning her shirt slowly. He hissed out a breath at the red lace bra she was wearing. "God, are you trying to kill me woman?"

Olivia laughed, a deep throaty sound. "You like?"

"I like you in anything," Elliot answered, kissing her soundly. "And out of everything."

"Funny, I feel the same about you," Olivia murmured, kissing him back. She slipped her hand down his stomach to his pants and was working at undoing the button when a cry erupted from next to the bed.

Elliot groaned, burying his face in Olivia's neck. "Welcome to parenthood," he moaned.

Olivia laughed dryly. "I'm a package deal these days, El."

"I know. And I love them. But that doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to having you all to myself on Friday."

"Does it make me a bad mother if I say that I'm looking forward to having you all to myself too?"

"No, it makes you human Olivia." He kissed her forehead gently. "Go get our boy before he gets really impatient for a snack."

Olivia sighed and rolled out of bed. She picked Jacob up, nuzzling his neck before heading downstairs to get the bottle. When she padded back upstairs, Elliot was sitting up in the bed, leaning against the headrest. He grinned at her and patted the space next to him. Olivia sat next to him on the bed, leaning back against him as Elliot's arms came around her, holding the baby while she did. As Jacob finished his bottle, Maggie padded sleepily into the room and climbed up onto the bed, snuggling onto Elliot's lap as if he'd always been there.

Elliot stroked a hand over Maggie's hair and leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to Olivia's temple. "Looks like we've got a family here, Liv."

"Yeah. It does," Olivia smiled softly, kissing his cheek, then looking at the children in their arms.


	14. Chapter 14

Two days later, Olivia found herself flying around the townhouse, trying to get things ready as quickly as she could. Brian and Maggie were watching the Disney Channel with Jacob swinging contentedly in his swing. Olivia was trying to pack her overnight bag and get dressed at the same time. She'd picked the kids up from daycare at their usual time, then come home and after playing with them for a bit, had settled them down in front of the television so she could shower.

She folded an emerald colored satin nightgown, despite the fact that her normal sleepwear ran more towards t-shirts and yoga pants, and placed it carefully in her duffle bag. She placed a hand on her stomach trying to quell the butterflies which were residing there. At a sound behind her, Olivia jumped and spun around, then laughed when she saw Maggie standing in the doorway, holding her Cinderella doll.

"Hey honey," Olivia grinned, holding out her arms. Maggie immediately raced into them, burying her face in Olivia's shoulder. "Hey hey hey, sweet pea," Olivia murmured, rubbing her back gently. "What's wrong, Maggie Mae?"

"You goin' 'way," Maggie mumbled.

"Just for tonight baby girl. Elliot and I are going to go out for dinner and Maureen's going to come play with you, remember? We talked about this. And I'll be right here when you wake up tomorrow morning." Olivia sat on the bed, Maggie still wrapped around her.

"What 'bout bedtime?" Maggie whispered.

"Maureen will put you to bed honey. And she'll give you a bath and read you a bedtime story. And you guys get to have pizza for dinner. Doesn't that sound fun?" Olivia smiled, trying to convince Maggie she'd be okay.

"What if I have bad dreams?"

Olivia sighed, pressing a kiss to the top of Maggie's head. "Then Maureen will call my cell phone and I'll come home. Okay?"

Maggie held on tighter. "Don' wan' you to go, Livvy."

Olivia sighed, having no idea what to do. "Baby, do you want to help me? Can you go get my toothbrush for be, Mags?"

Maggie sniffed and nodded. "Okay." She slid down from Olivia's lap and walked into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later with the toothbrush. After making sure that everything was packed, Olivia stood in front of her closet, considering her options while Maggie sat on the bed, holding the Cinderella doll.

Olivia turned from the closet, holding two different dresses on hangers, one was cerulean, sleeveless and had a skirt which flared out and ended just above her knee. The other was black, one shoulder, with almost no back. "Which do you think, sweetie? Black, or blue?"

"Blue's prettier," Maggie answered, smiling slightly.

"Okay, can you find my silver shoes for me?" Olivia grinned, hanging the black dress back up. She changed into the blue dress, then turned around when she heard Maggie's giggles.

"Livvy, look at me!" she squealed.

Olivia took one look at Maggie, teetering around in her heels, and laughed. "You look beautiful, sweetie! But I think those might be a little big for you. Maybe in a few years you can wear them."

"Hey, Olivia?" Brian called, walking into her room. "Come see my potions lab, I finished it!"

"Hey, that's great!" Olivia beamed. "Can I finish getting dressed, then I'll come look?"

"Where are you and Elliot going?" Brian asked, sitting on the bed.

"Actually," Olivia smiled, brushing a hand over his head, "I don't know. Elliot wanted to surprise me."

"How come you're packing a bag?"

"Just in case," Olivia answered cryptically. "What's the coolest thing you learned today at school?"

"Hm." Brian pursed his lips. "In science, we learned that the sun isn't a planet, it's a star. It's the closest star to Earth and all of the stars in the sky at night are just like the sun. So that means that they could all have solar systems like ours around them, and there could be other planets like Earth out there, but we don't know because we can't get the far in space ships. So Uncle John was right about the aliens."

Olivia stared at him, unsure whether she should laugh or scream. "Well, you're very right about the sun and the stars. But I don't know about the aliens." The doorbell rang and Olivia's eyes grew wide. "Shi-oot. Elliot's early. Bri, can you go get the door? Ask who it is first?"

"Okay. Come on, Maggie." Brian stood up and led Maggie out of the room.

Olivia heard the front door open and Maureen appeared at the doorway. "Hey Liv," she grinned. "Wow, you look great, you're gonna knock Dad's socks off!"

Olivia blushed. "Thanks. I think I'm almost ready, I just need to put my makeup on."

"You look nervous," Maureen grinned.

"Yeah, I am," Olivia said softly. "Nervous and excited at the same time."

"So's Dad," Maureen answered.

"Thanks for doing this."

"Anytime. Is your bag packed?" Maureen asked with a knowing smile.

"Well, yeah. It is." Olivia suddenly felt awkward. How did you act towards a girl when she was coming to baby-sit your children so you could go consummate your relationship with her father? "I'll have my cell phone on me, I imagine your dad will too. I don't know where we're going to dinner, he didn't tell me. But if you need anything, if the kids need anything, you can call me, okay?"

"We'll be fine," Maureen chuckled. "I brought pajamas and stuff just in case." At Olivia's blush, Maureen raised an eyebrow. "Liv? I'm not stupid; I know what you and Daddy are planning on tonight. You don't have to act like I don't."

Olivia chuckled. "I'm just not sure how to do this Maureen."

"You need a refresher course?" Maureen teased.

Olivia laughed. "Been so long, I might. But that's not what I meant."

"I know. Relax; I'm not going to be running around picturing you and my dad in bed. I'm happy for you and him."

Olivia slicked her lipstick on and turned to look at Elliot's daughter. "Thank you."

A cry sounded from the living room, followed by Brian yelling up the stairs that Jacob was crying. Olivia laughed and grabbed her bag before hurrying downstairs, Maureen following her. Olivia lifted Jacob into her arms and began soothing him softly as she headed towards the kitchen. "You're hungry, aren't you little man?" she cooed. "Yeah, you want some dinner." She microwaved the bottle as she turned to Maureen. "Emergency numbers are on the fridge. You should be able to reach your dad or me on our cell phones, but in case you can't, Don's number is there. John's is too, and Fin's, and Casey's. But last resort on them, try us first."

"Got it," Maureen nodded.

"There's money in the teapot for pizza, you can help yourself to anything in the fridge."

"The…the teapot?" Maureen looked at the stainless steel teapot on the stove in confusion and Olivia laughed as she shifted Jacob in her arms and began feeding him.

"No, the ceramic teapot on the counter. Friday's pizza night, they'll eat pretty much anything. Um, there's a salad bag in the fridge with dressings. Milk with dinner, no matter how much Brian tries to convince you that he can have a soda. Popcorn is in the cabinet above the stove. We stopped by the video store today and rented _Madagascar_ for the kids. Maggie goes down around 8, after a bath and a story. Only one story, she'll ask for more. Brian goes down about 9, and you can read a chapter of Harry Potter to him. Alternate pages until he's tired, then you can finish it."

Maureen laughed. "I can handle it Olivia, don't worry. I promise you, we'll be just fine."

Olivia nodded and took a deep breath. "I know, I'm just nervous."

The doorbell rang and Olivia's stomach jumped. Brian yelled out that he'd get the door and the next thing she knew, Elliot walked into the kitchen. Limped might have been a better word actually since he had Brian hanging around his neck and Maggie clinging to a leg. All of her nerves evaporated as Olivia laughed. "Hey guys," she laughed. "Let's let Elliot breathe, okay?" She handed Jacob and his bottle to Maureen, then helped Brian off of Elliot's back and lifted Maggie into her arms.

"I didn't mind," Elliot grinned as he straightened his tie. "My kids are all too 'cool' to be that excited to see their old dad." He walked over to Olivia then and rested one hand on her waist, leaning in to kiss her gently. "You look beautiful."

Olivia blushed and as he pulled away she slid her hand into his, setting Maggie on the floor. "You look pretty good yourself."

Elliot grinned then at his daughter who was watching them with a very satisfied smile on her face. "You all ready for tonight, sweetheart?"

"Yep," she grinned. "Can't wait to get started."

"I think she's trying to get rid of us," Olivia laughed.

"You got it, so go!" Maureen teased.

Olivia hugged Brian and kissed him good-bye. "I'll be back when you wake up in the morning, okay Bri?"

"We'll be okay, Olivia," he assured her.

"And help Maureen?"

"I will."

Olivia crouched next to Maggie then and the little girl threw her arms around her neck. "Gonna miss you, Livvy," Maggie whispered.

"I'm going to miss you too sweetheart. But I promise, I'll be right here when you wake up tomorrow morning. And then we'll have all day to play."

"Okay," Maggie sighed.

"Can you be a good girl for Maureen for me?"

Maggie nodded. "An' help with Jacob."

"That's my good girl," Olivia murmured, kissing her cheek before gently prying Maggie's arms from around her neck and standing. She smiled at the warm feeling of Elliot's hand on her back and looked up at him. "Just let me say bye to Jay and we can leave."

Elliot nodded and watched with a smile as Olivia competently scooped Jacob from his swing and cuddled him to her, murmuring. After a couple of minutes, Olivia kissed Jacob's cheek and settled him into Maureen's arms. After another round of kisses and hugs to Brian and Maggie, from both Olivia and Elliot, they made their way out the door.

Elliot reached out as they walked to his car, linking his fingers with hers. "You okay?"

Olivia smiled up at him and nodded, squeezing his hand. "A little nervous, but it's a good nervous."

"Like going in for a bust?" Elliot grinned.

"God no," Olivia laughed. "Much much better, I swear. So where are you taking me for dinner?"

"Oh, you wanted food?" Elliot teased.

"For what we have planned?" Olivia purred in his ear, gracefully untangling her fingers from his and slipping her hand under his suit jacket to rake her nails lightly across his back, just above his waist band. "You better believe it."

Elliot's eyes grew wide as he turned, catching her hand in his and cupping the back of her neck with his other hand. He lowered his lips to hers and leaned her gently against the car. "You're teasing me," he whispered against her lips and she laughed.

"Payback for the last eight years," she whispered back. "But I don't think it's working."

"Oh, it's working," Elliot pressed up against her so she could feel just how much it was working.

"Maybe we should forget about dinner," Olivia gasped, arching into him.

He chuckled then, shaking his head. "You don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"Because we have reservations at Tavern on the Green."

Olivia pushed him away with one hand, shock evident on her face. "We…what?"

"We have reservations at Tavern on the Green," Elliot repeated, smiling.

"Elliot! No, we don't have to go there, it's too expensive."

"Maybe I think you're worth it," he suggested as he opened her door and helped her inside.

She waited until he was inside the car as well before continuing. "El, I appreciate the gesture, really, but it's too much."

He rolled his eyes and pulled away from the curb. "It's not and, if memory serves, you said I could pick."

She sighed. "I would have been happy with burgers though, you know that, right?" she asked, linking her fingers with his. "I don't need fancy, I just need to be with you."

He grinned, squeezing her hand. "You might not need fancy Liv, but it's something I'd like to give you, at least once in awhile. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be back to burgers before long."

Olivia smiled and kissed his cheek. The rest of the ride was spent in easy silence, both just comfortable and happy being with each other.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Elliot handed to keys over to the valet and took Olivia's arm. When they were seated, Elliot glanced at the wine menu. "What are you thinking of?" he asked.

Olivia shrugged. "Whatever you feel like, I'm not picky."

Elliot's eyebrows arched and a smile teased his lips. "You don't have an opinion on something?"

She glared playfully. "I was trying to be easygoing."

"Liv," Elliot smiled and held her hands lightly in his. "Do me a favor, okay? You being easygoing worries me and makes me wonder about all of Munch's conspiracy theories."

"You want me to be difficult?" she asked incredulously.

"No, I want you to be you. You, Olivia, as stubborn as you can be, are the one I fe…the one I wanted to go out with tonight."

The waiter appeared at the table then, as the blush was still coloring Olivia's cheeks, and took their orders. When he was gone and the bottle of merlot that Elliot ordered had appeared at their table and been poured, Elliot watched the candlelight dance across Olivia's face. It caught the honey colored highlights in her hair and they seemed to glow as they framed her face. Her chocolate eyes danced until a sudden wariness filled them.

"El? Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No, why would something be wrong?"

"You're staring."

Now it was Elliot's turn to blush. "Sorry, Liv. It's just…you look happy Olivia."

She laughed. "I am happy, Elliot. It only took us how long to work this out?"

"No, I don't mean just tonight. You've looked happier in the past four weeks than I've seen you in the last eight years, combined."

"I am," she whispered. "This is the happiest that I think I've ever been. I have my kids and I…well, I have you."

"You've had me for the last eight years, Liv," Elliot chuckled.

"I know," she rolled her eyes. "But not like this."

Elliot smiled and rubbed his thumb in circles over the palm of her hand. "I like having you like this too, Liv."

She felt her heart jump with anticipation but, much to Olivia's surprise, she realized that the butterflies that had inhabited her stomach all day had disappeared, and she hadn't even noticed.

After they finished their dinner, Elliot grinned mischievously at Olivia. "Do you want dessert?"

"Here?" Olivia asked, eyes growing wide as she assumed he had been referring to sex when he said dessert.

Elliot laughed then. "I meant actual dessert. Like ice cream? Or cake?"

"Oh, um, no, I'm good." The butterflies were back, though now they seemed to be more excited than nervous.

"Let's go then." Elliot signaled for the check, and paid as quickly as possible. As they walked out of the restaurant Elliot slipped his hand through hers and squeezed it gently. When Olivia turned towards where he had parked the car, he stopped her. "Our ride," he whispered. "Is over there."

As Elliot turned her, Olivia felt her jaw drop. "A hansom cab?" she whispered, shocked. "You rented a hansom cab?"

"I wanted this to be special," he grinned.

Olivia turned to Elliot, her heart showing clearly in her eyes. "This, all this, is amazing, El. But you didn't need to do all of this. Tonight IS special, not because of dinner, which was probably the best meal I've ever eaten, or because of the hansom cab which is without a doubt the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me, but because it's you. I've wanted to…to be with you, for so long that I can't remember a time when I didn't." Tears threatened to spill over her eyes and Elliot was shocked by her honesty.

He smiled and kissed her softly. "Never doubt that this is about you and me," he murmured. "I know we won't be able to do this all the time. Or probably any time for the next five years. But I wanted to be able to do something for you that I didn't think anyone had done for you before."

She grinned. "Well, you're right about that. That said though, we can still take the hansom cab, right?"

Elliot laughed. "Right. I enlisted Fin's help in picking up my car. He'll drop it off at the apartment sometime tonight." Olivia turned from their car, her duffle bag in her hand and gaped at Elliot even as he helped her up onto the seat.

"You told Fin?" she whispered in horror.

Elliot wrapped an arm around Olivia's shoulders, drawing her into him where she relaxed without even meaning to. "Kind of. I told him I was surprising you with a hansom cab ride to give you a break from being a mommy and asked him to pick up my car."

"You're sneaky, Stabler," Olivia laughed, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "I like that."

"Is that all you like?" Elliot teased.

"Hm," she pretended to think.

Elliot took advantage of their position to dig his knuckles gently into Olivia's ribs as she squirmed and laughed. "Okay, okay, I give!" she laughed. She settled back against him then, watching the city pass before them. "It's beautiful here, I love seeing the city this way."

"Yeah, the view is pretty amazing," Elliot whispered, eyes fixed steadily on the woman next to him.

She looked back, then rolled her eyes. "Elliot, you're not looking at the city."

"Just so happens I like this view more." He bent his head and slanted his lips over hers.

Olivia responded eagerly, reaching behind her to pull his head closer so she could deepen the kiss. She moved then to kiss Elliot's cheek and down his jaw. Lost in the feel of his lips on her skin and his hands sliding slowly, way too damn slowly for her liking, Olivia was startled when the handsome cab came to a stop outside of Elliot's apartment.

"We're here," Elliot murmured against her ear, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

"We are," Olivia agreed. She beamed softly then as Elliot stepped down from the cab, grabbed her bag, and held a hand out to help her down. They walked slowly up to Elliot's apartment, Elliot having paid for the handsome cab ride by credit card when he made the reservations.

When the door closed behind them Elliot lifted his hands to gently frame Olivia's face. "You are so beautiful," he whispered, smiling.

Olivia blushed. "The view from over here isn't too bad either," she whispered back, wrapping one arm around his neck, raking her nails lightly over the back of his head. As she slanted her lips over his and slid her other hand under his shirt, Elliot dropped her bad on the ground by the door, moaning softly.

"Bedroom?" he whispered, pulling her tightly against him.

"Bedroom," she answered, gasping as her hips thrust against him. Somehow they managed to weave through the living room and hallway into the bedroom without breaking their kiss. When they were in the room, Elliot kicked the door shut and slowly slid his hands up Olivia's waist, the feel of her gentle curves beneath the silky material of her dress driving him crazy. His fingers found the zipper at the back of the dress and slowly slid the zipper down, sliding his knuckles down her spine.

The cool air and heat of Elliot's touch swirled on Olivia's skin and had her knees weakening as she whimpered. "God, El, don't stop."

Elliot smiled against her lips as he slid the dress forward and off her shoulders, his hands gently skimming the area just below her bra. Olivia's eyes grew wide at the gentle stroke of his fingers and she felt her panties grow damp as Elliot deepened the kiss and slid her dress down her body, letting it pool on the floor.

She had spent eight years fantasizing about this very moment, but never, in her wildest most detailed daydreams, had she come even halfway close to what it felt like to be kissed, truly kissed, by Elliot Stabler. Not even the kisses they had indulged in the last month had prepared her. It was the difference between drinking a glass of wine and drinking the whole case. She felt as if she were drowning, completely engulfed by the tastes, textures, and scents that were uniquely Elliot. It was such an intoxicating feeling that when he pulled back to look at her, Olivia literally whimpered in protest.

"I want to see you," Elliot whispered. "I've wanted to see you for so long, Olivia."

She felt her cheeks grow warm, torn between slight embarrassment and pleasure and pride. Elliot's blue eyes, darkened to indigo by desire, began at her hair, perfectly styled when they'd left that evening, now mussed by his fingers and even sexier. Her eyes were wide and dark with desire, lips swollen from their desperate kisses. His gaze continued downward and took in her tanned body, covered only by two scraps of blue lace that perfectly matched the dress that was lying, forgotten, around her feet. Her toned arms wound around his neck and beautiful, impossibly long legs ended in a pair of silver sandals with heels high enough to put them early at eye level.

Elliot couldn't stop the grin from spreading over his face. "You're so damn beautiful Liv," he growled as he wrapped his arms around her surprisingly small waist and pulled her flush against him, the tips of his fingers finding their way into the top of her panties and skimming back and forth, from her hips to her rear and back again.

"For some reason," she purred against his lips, "I'm the only one who's naked."

"Are you planning on fixing this problem?" Elliot smirked.

"Hell yes!" She started at his waist and slowly slid her hands up his hard chest, loving the feeling of his muscles contracting under her palms as she kissed him deeply, mouth fused to his, tongue exploring it expertly. She slid her hands over his broad shoulders, and then pushed the suit jacket from his shoulders so it landed on the carpet. She dragged one hand down to the knot of his tie and loosened it enough so that she could pull on it gently and have it come untied. With her other hand, Olivia slid the tie off from behind and flicked it away.

She trailed her hands down his strong back until she reached the waist of his pants and tugged the shirt out. Once the shirt was completely untucked Olivia slid her hands back up his chest. She moved from kissing his lips to pressing hot, open-mouthed kissed beneath his ear, on his neck, his collarbone, which nearly made him come undone, and down his chest, following the path her fingers made unbuttoning his shirt. She rose slowly, tongue doing a complex dance over Elliot's chest. She pushed the shirt down off his shoulders and nearly swooned at the tightly muscled body before her.

It wasn't that Olivia had never seen him without a shirt, she had. But that was Detective Elliot Stabler, her partner. Now he was Elliot, her best friend and…lover? Boyfriend? She leaned forward, slanting her lips as her hand slipped gracefully into his pants and cupped his balls beneath his erection, squeezing gently.

Elliot's eyes grew wide and color rose up his neck as he gasped. "Liv, do that again and I'll embarrass us both."

Olivia grinned but withdrew her hand and instead used both hands to unfasten his belt and pants, sliding them to the ground. The black boxer/briefs followed and Olivia paused, impressed by what they revealed. Elliot was clearly VERY ready.

Elliot toed off his socks and Olivia stepped out of her sandals, which lowered her about three inches. Elliot stepped forward and the next thing Olivia knew she was in the air, cradled against Elliot's chest with his lips pressed to hers and one of his thumbs teasing her already hard nipple through the lace of her bra. He carried her to the bed and laid her reverently on the pillows. Olivia arched her back as Elliot reached behind her, unhooking her bra and slowly drawing it down her arms and off. Lingerie discarded over the edge of the bed, Elliot slid down, one hand cupping Olivia's breast, fingers brushing lightly over and around her firm nipple as he ran his tongue expertly along the underside of her breast, smiling as she gasped, arching towards him as one hand came reflexively to the back of his head.

"Elliot," she gasped as one leg came up and wrapped around his waist. "Please El."

Elliot smiled as he slid up her body. He knew what she wanted and wanted to give it to her. He would, but not right then. Elliot lowered his lips and indulged in placing a kiss to the hollow of Olivia's collar bone. "I love this spot, right here," he whispered, kissing her there again.

Olivia moaned and thrust her hips against his, squirming under him. "God Elliot."

"You have the most beautiful neck," Elliot groaned.

"I'm glad you like it," Olivia purred. "But right now, I want you inside of me. Make me come Elliot."

He moaned. "At your command, beautiful." He crushed his lips to hers and slowly slid up, as Olivia's legs both wrapped tightly around his waist, slid slowly into Olivia's body.

Olivia let out a shuddering sigh as she felt Elliot enter her. She pulled him closer and moaned as he began moving inside of her, slowly at first but picking up momentum as he kissed her thoroughly. Olivia raked her nails over his back, thrusting with him. As the pressure built inside of her, Olivia gasped his name.

"I know babe, I know," Elliot groaned. He could feel Olivia beginning to convulse beneath him and knew that he wasn't far behind. As the ripples coursed through Olivia's body and set him off completely. As the climax ripped through them both Olivia let out a scream and Elliot all but collapsed. It took all of his willpower to not land on top of her.

"God El," Olivia sighed as she reached up to stroke his cheek. "That was…wow. We should have done this a long time ago."

"Oh yeah," Elliot grinned, turning so he could press a kiss to the palm of her hand. "You don't regret this?"

"Never," Olivia smiled back.

Elliot beamed and reached down to press a kiss to her slightly swollen lips. "Ready for round two, Livia?"

She laughed. "Already? You're up for it?"

"I finally have you naked and willing in my bed. Trust me; I'm up to it if you are."

Olivia gently pushed Elliot onto his back and straddled him, stroking her fingers over his broad chest. "I'm always up for it," she purred, leaning down to kiss his chest.

When they finally surfaced, the sun was peeking through the curtains in Elliot's room. Olivia blinked her eyes open slowly and groaned. "Stop the sun," she mumbled.

Elliot chuckled. "Good morning to you too, Liv."

She smiled as she realized where she was. "Morning, El. Last night…that was amazing."

"I think so too," he agreed. "But I'm not sure I can wait for another month before we do this again."

"Stay at my place tonight?"

He grinned. "I'm sure that can be arranged. You don't have any pressing plans this weekend?"

"Just spending time with you and the kids, unless we get called in."

"God I hope we don't," Elliot groaned. He grinned then and kissed her gently. "Have I told you how beautiful you look in the morning?"

"El, I think it's time we had your eyes checked," Olivia laughed.

"Nope, I see you perfectly," Elliot beamed.

"Flatterer," Olivia whispered, kissing him gently. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss, only to pull away quickly. "Elliot, it's morning!"

He laughed. "Yes, that's usually what comes after nighttime."

"Smartass," she smacked his shoulder. "I promised the kids I'd be back this morning."

"Have time for a shower?" Elliot asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to keep from laughing at the hopeful expression on his face. "The kind of shower you have in mind will end up taking too long." She kissed him again though. "But maybe tonight…"

"Okay, let's get home to the kids and tonight," Elliot growled playfully, making Olivia laugh.

"Definitely tonight," she promised.

As they drove towards Olivia's townhouse, she reached over and linked fingers with Elliot. She was surprised, and very thankful, that things weren't awkward between her and Elliot. Her main fear in starting a relationship with Elliot had been that the magic wouldn't be there once they actually gave a relationship a chance, that the attraction between them was simply because they couldn't be together, not because they were meant to be together. "Should we stop and pick up bagels for everyone?"

"Sounds good. What do you want to do with the kids today?"

"Um…I don't know. Let's ask Brian and Maggie. Maybe there's something that they want to do."

"Besides visiting a toy store?" Elliot chuckled.

"Yeah, besides that," Olivia laughed.

They pulled up in front of the house and Elliot reached over to kiss her again. "Come on, beautiful, let's go get our family."


End file.
